Imperforate bowl: centrifugal separators – With condition responsive means – For controlling outlet valve
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-17
2002-02-12
Reifsnyder, David A. (Department: 1723)
Imperforate bowl: centrifugal separators
With condition responsive means
For controlling outlet valve
C494S001000, C494S074000, C494S079000, C210S097000, C210S112000, C210S115000, C210S360100, C210S380100, C210S741000, C210S787000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06346069
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a centrifugal separator system for treating water that has been contaminated with both organic and inorganic materials. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a rotating pressure vessel that separates solids and liquids at a high rate. In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a liquid-liquid separator that responds to radical load disturbances.
2. The Relevant Technology
Water purification is an age-old activity that has been pursued to achieve both potable water and water for industrial use. With the rise of industrialization, water purification took on a new importance because industrial water usage generally involved discharging contaminated water into the environment. As concerns about the environment have increased, water discharged into the environment has been subjected to increasingly higher standards. Thus, increased efforts have been undertaken to identify methods of processing water to substantially reduce both dissolved and particulate pollutants.
One aspect of water purification that is particularly time consuming and/or equipment intensive is liquid-solid separation. Traditionally, settling ponds, or thickeners, have been used in which a large volume of particulate-containing water is allowed to reside in a quiescent state. With the force of gravity acting on the mixture, the particulate, even those in the Stokes flow regime, will separate from the liquid.
One disadvantage to the use of thickeners is that they have to be extremely large to have any significant flow capacity. Thus, their use is not practicable in crowded urban areas where the need for such water purification systems is often the greatest. Consequently, thickeners have been developed that allow for a continuous flow of particulate-containing liquid into the center of the thickener, producing a clarified supernatant liquid and a compacted sludge. The compacted sludge, exiting from the bottom of the thickener, typically has a water content that amounts to between 10 and 30 percent of total water being fed to the thickener.
Traditional thickeners have been improved in the last decade or so with the advent of the high-rate thickener. The high-rate thickener has a center feed well that extends below the mud line of the underflow material. Accordingly, all water entering the thickener must pass through the sludge which acts as a filter medium. By using the sludge as a filter, solid-liquid separation rates are increased, albeit only incrementally over that of traditional thickeners. Additionally, high-rate thickeners also must be very large and, consequently, also have large footprints, rendering their use impractical in many situations.
What is needed in the art is a system for clarifying a particulate-containing liquid that overcomes the space requirement and slow solid-liquid separation rates experienced in the prior art. Such apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed and claimed herein.
Another aspect of separations includes liquid-liquid systems such as separating the oil and water from a sump in a machine shop or in a washing bay for trains or buses etc. Other liquid-liquid separation systems are utilized in the food industry where oil and water need separation. On of the problems in the prior art is the effect of load disturbances such as a surge of oil or water in a cleaning operation that upsets the balance of the oil/water feed ratio to the separator. Although the separator may be controlled to prevent one component from entering the wrong exit stream, a catastrophic surge of one component or the other cannot be controlled.
Another challenge to the liquid-liquid separator systems is a separation between two immiscible liquids with densities that vary by about 5% or less. Because of the closeness of the densities, separation becomes increasingly difficult.
What is needed in the art is a liquid-liquid separator that overcomes the problems of the prior art.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to separator systems, namely solid-liquid separators and liquid-liquid separators, that include a pressure vessel. The pressure vessel may be spherical or have an alternative configuration such as compound frusto-conical. The ends of the pressure vessel are mounted so that the vessel can be rapidly rotated about a longitudinal or rotational axis extending through the vessel. An inlet channel is configured at one end of the vessel through which a fluid mixture is pumped into the pressure vessel. An exit channel is provided at the opposite end of the vessel through which a select portion of the fluid mixture exits the vessel.
In a first embodiment of the present invention, the separator system includes a solid-liquid separator or clarifier. The solid-liquid separator is designed to separate particulate matter from a liquid. In this embodiment, a plurality of fins are disposed within the pressure vessel. The fins radially outwardly project from the longitudinal axis in parallel alignment with the longitudinal axis. At least a portion of each fin is disposed adjacent to the wall of the vessel so that the fins interact with the vessel wall to form a plurality of discrete flow channels that longitudinally extend through the vessel.
Radially outwardly projecting from the longitudinal axis in substantially perpendicular alignment with the longitudinal axis are a plurality of spaced apart discs. The discs intersect with the fins so as to partially block the flow channels. The discs channel the fluid flow away from the longitudinal axis of the vessel and along the vessel wall. The discs do not extend all the way to the outer wall of the pressure vessel, but leave a flow path between the perimeter of the discs and the wall of the pressure vessel.
Apart from their role in channeling fluid flow, the discs and the fins also provide structural support for each other. The discs and the fins are each configured with corresponding slots by which each fin matingly engages each disc, thereby facilitating assembly and providing mutual structural support. Hence, the discs and fins act as stays for each other as well as serving as flow diverters.
In one embodiment, underflow passages extend between select flow channels at the maximum diameter encircling the longitudinal axis. The underflow passages are configured by either truncating the end of a fin or providing holes or other orifices in or along the outer edge of a fin at desired locations. As discussed below, the underflow passages enable the separated particulate component to flow between adjacent flow channels so as to be extracted from the pressure vessel.
Disposed along the longitudinal axis of the vessel is an exit tube. The exit tube has an inlet end centrally disposed within the vessel and an outlet end fluid coupled with the exterior of the vessel. Radially outwardly projecting from the longitudinal axis are a plurality of extraction tubes. Each extraction tube has a first end fluid coupled with the inlet end of the exit tube and an opposing second end disposed a short distance from the wall of the vessel. The second end of each extraction tube is disposed within a corresponding flow channel. In one embodiment, there is an extraction tube for each flow channel. In an alternative embodiment, there may be only one extraction tube for two or more flow channels. In this latter embodiment, the underflow passages are used to provide fluid communication between flow channels that do not have an extraction tube and flow channels in which an extraction tube is disposed.
During operation of the solid-liquid separator, a liquid containing particulate matter is pump under pressure into the rotating vessel through the inlet channel. As the liquid enters the vessel, the liquid is channeled into one of the flow channels defined by the radial fins. The positioning of the disc within the flow channels forces the liquid to flow radially outward toward the vessel wall. At this location, the liquid is subject to the maximum centrifugal fo
Reifsnyder David A.
Separation Process Technology, Inc.
Workman & Nydegger & Seeley
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