Decanter centrifuge with adjustable gate control
First Claim
1. A decanter centrifuge comprising:
- a bowl rotatable about a longitudinal axis, said bowl having a cake discharge opening at one end and a liquid phase discharge opening;
a conveyor having at least a portion disposed inside said bowl for rotation about said longitudinal axis at an angular speed different from an angular rotational speed of said bowl, said conveyor including a helical screw disposed inside said bowl for scrolling a deposited solids cake layer along an inner surface of said bowl towards said cake discharge opening, said helical screw including a plurality of screw wraps, said screw wraps including a last screw wrap which is most proximate to said cake discharge opening, said screw wraps further including a penultimate screw wrap disposed next to said last screw wrap on a side thereof opposite said cake discharge opening;
a feed element extending into said bowl and said conveyor for delivering a feed slurry into a pool inside said bowl; and
an adjustable gating element mounted to said conveyor between said penultimate screw wrap and said cake discharge opening, said gating element being spaced a variable and adjustable predeterminable distance from said inner surface of said bowl.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A decanter centrifuge comprises a bowl and a worm or screw type conveyor. The bowl is rotatable about a longitudinal axis and has a cake discharge opening at one end and a liquid phase discharge opening. The conveyor includes a conveyor hub having at least a portion disposed inside the bowl for rotation about the longitudinal axis at an angular speed different from an angular rotational speed of the bowl. The conveyor further includes a helical screw or worm attached to the conveyor hub and disposed inside the bowl for scrolling a cake layer along an inner surface of the bowl towards the cake discharge opening. An adjustable component on the hub forms a gap between the hub and the inner surface of the bowl so that the gap has a size adjustable independently of hub rotation speed. The adjustable gap enables an optimization of the moisture content of cake exiting the bowl at the cake discharge opening for a given solids throughput and cake rheology. The adjustable component on the hub takes the form of an annular weir or a baffle plate.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A decanter centrifuge comprising:
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a bowl rotatable about a longitudinal axis, said bowl having a cake discharge opening at one end and a liquid phase discharge opening; a conveyor having at least a portion disposed inside said bowl for rotation about said longitudinal axis at an angular speed different from an angular rotational speed of said bowl, said conveyor including a helical screw disposed inside said bowl for scrolling a deposited solids cake layer along an inner surface of said bowl towards said cake discharge opening, said helical screw including a plurality of screw wraps, said screw wraps including a last screw wrap which is most proximate to said cake discharge opening, said screw wraps further including a penultimate screw wrap disposed next to said last screw wrap on a side thereof opposite said cake discharge opening; a feed element extending into said bowl and said conveyor for delivering a feed slurry into a pool inside said bowl; and an adjustable gating element mounted to said conveyor between said penultimate screw wrap and said cake discharge opening, said gating element being spaced a variable and adjustable predeterminable distance from said inner surface of said bowl. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A decanter centrifuge comprising:
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a bowl rotatable about a longitudinal axis, said bowl having a cake discharge opening at one end and a liquid phase discharge opening; and a conveyor having at least a portion disposed inside said bowl for rotation about said longitudinal axis at an angular speed different from an angular rotational speed of said bowl, said conveyor including a helical screw disposed inside said bowl for scrolling a cake layer along an inner surface of said bowl towards said cake discharge opening, said conveyor having an adjustable gating element defining an adjustable gap with respect to said inner surface of said bowl, said gap having a size adjustable independently of conveyor rotation speed, said helical screw including a plurality of screw wraps, said screw wraps including a last screw wrap which is most proximate to said cake discharge opening, said screw wraps further including a penultimate screw wrap disposed next to said last screw wrap on a side thereof opposite said cake discharge opening, said gating element being axially located between said penultimate screw wrap and said cake discharge opening; and a feed element extending into said bowl and said conveyor for delivering a feed slurry into a pool inside said bowl. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification