Liquid separating drum, separator provided with such a drum, and kit for assembling the same

• US 9,101,861 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2010
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GEA Houle Inc. (GEA Group AG)
• Original Assignee: GEA Houle Inc. (GEA Group AG)
• Inventors: Courtemanche, Alain, Desrochers, Yann, St-Onge, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): Lithgow, Thomas M
• Application Number:
  US13/496,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20120255896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,792 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/445 Bar screens
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 33/067 Construction of the filtering drums, e.g. mounting or sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 33/11 arranged for outward flow filtration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 33/76 for discharging the filter cake, e.g. chutes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/20 Fertilizers of biological origin, e.g. guano or fertilizers made from animal corpses

Abstract

A liquid separating drum (1) for use with a separator (3) in order to separate liquid material (11a) from solid material (11b) in a mixture material (11) to be processed. The liquid separating drum (1) includes an elongated main body (5) having a longitudinal axis (7), the main body (5) being removably mountable about a base frame (9) of the separator (3) so as to be rotatable with respect thereto, the main body (5) having an inlet (5a) for receiving the mixture material (11) to be processed, and an outlet (5b) for releasing processed material. Advantageously, the main body (5) includes a plurality of longitudinal slits (15) operatively connecting the interior (17) of the main body (5) to the exterior (19) thereof, the longitudinal slits (15) extending longitudinally with respect to the main body (5) and being provided circumferentially about said main body (5), each longitudinal slit (15) being profiled and defining an interface (21) configured for allowing liquid material (11a) to evacuate out from the interior (17) of the main body (5) via the interface (21) in a diverging manner through the slit (15), while retaining solid material (11b) inside the main body (5).

Claims

1. A liquid separating drum (1) for use with a manure separator (3) in order to separate liquid material (11a) from solid material (11b) in a mixture material (11) of manure to be processed, the liquid separating drum (1) comprising:

an elongated main body (5) having a longitudinal axis (7), the main body (5) being removably mountable about a base frame (9) of the manure separator (3) so as to be rotatable with respect thereto, the main body (5) having an inlet (5a) for receiving the mixture material (11) of manure to be processed, and an outlet (5b) for releasing processed manure material, the main body (5) comprises a plurality of longitudinal slits (15) operatively connecting the interior (17) of the main body (5) to the exterior (19) thereof, the longitudinal slits (15) extending longitudinally with respect to the main body (5) and being provided circumferentially about said main body (5), each longitudinal slit (15) being profiled and defining an interface (21) configured for allowing liquid material (11a) to evacuate out from the interior (17) of the main body (5) via the interface (21) in a diverging manner through the slit (15), while retaining solid material (11b) inside the main body (5);

a plurality of supporting ribs (23) disposed along the longitudinal axis (7) of the main body (5) and extending transversally with respect to said longitudinal axis (7); and

a plurality of profiled bars (25) mounted circumferentially onto the supporting ribs (23) and extending longitudinally with respect to the main body (5) so as to define complementary profiled longitudinal slits (15), each slit (15) being configured for allowing liquid material (11a) of the manure to be processed to evacuate out from the main body (5) through said slit (15), while retaining solid material (11b) of the manure to be processed inside the main body (5), each profiled bar (25) comprising a central axis (27), and each profiled bar (25) being mounted onto supporting ribs (23) so that its central axis (27) is disposed at a given angle (Ω

) ranging with respect to a corresponding radial axis (29) of the liquid separating drum (1), the given angle (Ω

) ranging between about 2 degrees and about 4 degrees so as to provide the main body (5) with an inner peripheral contact surface (31) that is serrated, and the main body (5) of the drum (1) being configured for mounting at a positive inclination (β

₁) with respect to a longitudinal axis (9a) of the base frame (9), so that the outlet (5b) of the main body (5) be located higher than the inlet (5a) thereof.

2. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 1, wherein each profiled bar (25) comprises opposite inner and outer longitudinal sides (25a,25b), and first and second longitudinal sides (25c,25d) extending between the inner and outer longitudinal sides (25a,25b).

3. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 2, wherein the first and second longitudinal sides (25c,25d) are each positioned at respective slanted angles (θ

₁, θ

₂) with respect to the inner and outer longitudinal sides (25a,25b).

4. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 2, wherein the first and second longitudinal sides (25c,25d) are each positioned at mirror angles (θ

) with respect to each other.

5. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 4, wherein the mirror angles (θ

) are about 84 degrees each.

6. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 2, wherein each profiled bar (25) has a substantially trapezoidal profile, the inner longitudinal side (25a) being greater than the outer longitudinal side (25b), and the first and second longitudinal sides (25c,25d) converging from the inner longitudinal side (25a) towards the outer longitudinal side (25b).

7. A liquid separating drum according to claim 1, wherein the given angle (Ω

) is about 3 degrees.

8. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 1, wherein each slit (15) comprises an inner opening (15a) and an outer opening (15b), the inner opening (15a) being defined between a pair of inner longitudinal sides (25a) of neighbouring profiled bars (25), and the outer opening (15b) being defined between a pair of outer longitudinal sides (25b) of said neighbouring profiled bars (25).

9. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 8, wherein the outer opening (15b) of each slit (15) is greater than its corresponding inner opening (15a).

10. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 8, wherein each slit (15) divergently widens from its inner opening (15a) to its outer opening (15b).

11. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 1, wherein inner longitudinal sides (25a) of the profiled bars (25) are disposed with respect to one another so as to provide the interior (17) of the main body (5) with an inner peripheral contact surface (31) that is serrated.

12. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 1, wherein the profiled bars (25) are mounted circumferentially about an inner portion (23a) of the supporting ribs (23).

13. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 1, wherein the profiled bars (25) are mounted circumferentially about an outer portion (25b) of the supporting ribs (23).

14. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 1, wherein the interior (17) of the main body (5) is provided with a tumbling element (33) for tumbling material contained inside the main body (5).

15. A liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 14, wherein the tumbling element (33) is a tumbling blade extending longitudinally with respect to the main body (5) of the liquid separating drum (1).

16. A manure separator (3) for separating liquid material (11a) from solid material (11b) in a mixture material (11) of manure to be processed, the separator (3) comprising:

a base frame (9);

a liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 1, the drum (1) being rotably mounted onto the base frame (9); and

a rotating mechanism (35) operatively connected between the base frame (9) and the drum (1) for rotating said drum (1) with respect to the base frame (9) in order to allow liquid material (11a) of the manure to evacuate out from the drum (1) via longitudinal slits (15) thereof.

17. A manure separator (3) according to claim 16, wherein the main body (5) of the drum (1) is disposed at a positive inclination (β

₁) with respect to a longitudinal axis (9a) of the base frame (9), the outlet (5b) of the main body (5) being located higher than the inlet (5a) thereof.

18. A manure separator (3) according to claim 16, wherein the manure separator (3) is provided with an internal screw mechanism (37) located inside the drum (1) for urging solid material (11b) from the inlet (5a) of the main body (5) towards the outlet (5b) thereof.

19. A manure separator (3) according to claim 16, wherein the manure separator (3) comprises a recipient (39) placed about the drum (1) for recovering liquid material evacuated from said drum (1).

20. A manure separator (3) according to claim 19, wherein the recipient (39) is placed under the drum (1).

21. A kit for assembling a manure separator (3) intended for separating liquid material (11a) from solid material (11b) in a mixture material (11) of manure to be processed, the kit comprising:

a base frame (9);

a liquid separating drum (1) according to claim 1, the drum (1) being rotably mountable onto the base frame (9); and

a rotating mechanism (35) operatively connectable between the base frame (9) and the drum (1) for rotating said drum (1) with respect to the base frame (9) in order to allow liquid material (11a) of the manure to evacuate out from the drum (1) via longitudinal slits (15) thereof.

22. A kit according to claim 21, wherein the kit further comprises an internal screw mechanism (37) mountable inside the drum (1) for urging solid material (11b) from the inlet (5a) of the main body (5) towards the outlet (5b) thereof.

23. A kit according to claim 21, wherein the kit further comprises a recipient (39) placeable about the drum (1) for recovering liquid material (11a) evacuated from said drum (1).