U.S. patent number 3,823,869 [Application Number 05/348,095] was granted by the patent office on 1974-07-16 for centrifugal separating apparatus.
Invention is credited to Robert Loison.
United States Patent |
3,823,869 |
Loison |
July 16, 1974 |
CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATING APPARATUS
Abstract
Centrifugal separating apparatus comprises a rotatable drum
formed from at least two axially-spaced parts. The adjacent
portions of adjacent parts have frusto-conical walls which
co-operate to define a chamber which receives a component separated
in the drum. The adjacent edges of the parts comprise lips of a
deformable material which bound an outlet opening from the chamber.
The lips are associated with means for selectively closing the
opening, for example by moving the lips together.
Inventors: |
Loison; Robert (Croissy sur
Seine, FR) |
Family
ID: |
9097339 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/348,095 |
Filed: |
April 5, 1973 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Apr 21, 1972 [FR] |
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72.14284 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
494/56; 494/81;
494/84 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B04B
1/14 (20130101); B04B 11/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B04B
1/00 (20060101); B04B 11/00 (20060101); B04B
11/04 (20060101); B04B 1/14 (20060101); B04b
001/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;233/19R,19A,1R,2R,2A,47R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1,123,042 |
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Jun 1956 |
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FR |
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621,908 |
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Nov 1935 |
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DD |
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Primary Examiner: Krizmanich; George H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Upchurch; Clelle W.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In centrifugal separating apparatus
a rotatable drum, said drum comprising
at least two parts, said parts having frusto-conical walls which
cooperate to define a chamber to receive a component separated in
the drum, the adjacent edges of the parts being spaced from each
other to define a circular outlet opening from the chamber
therebetween, the said edges comprising
two lips of a deformable material about the said opening, and means
cooperating with the lips to bring the lips selectively together or
apart to open or close said opening.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said parts of the
drum are formed of a plastics material, and the lips are integral
with the respective parts.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising
bands, said bands reinforcing the said parts of the drum.
4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for bringing
the lips into an open or closed position comprises
a soft-iron member fast with each lip, and
annular coil means arranged between each said soft-iron member and
its associated lip, each said annular coil means including
a core, energisation of the coil means being operative to cause
attraction of the soft iron members towards the cores whereby the
lips are moved together to close the opening.
5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said means for
bringing the lips into an open or closed position comprises
a plurality of electromagnets arranged around the drum, said
electromagnets including
actuator rods, the actuator rods contacting the lips upon
energisation of the electromagnets whereby to move the lips
together to close the opening.
6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the lips is
fixed, and the means for bringing the lips into an open or closed
position comprises
fluid-operated means for moving the other lip.
7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the lips is
fixed and the means for bringing the lips into an open or closed
position comprises
electromagnetic means for moving the other lip.
8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drum comprises more
than two said parts which co-operate to form a plurality of said
chambers and associated openings.
9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising
linear motor means operative to drive the drum.
10. In centrifugal separating apparatus
a rotatable drum, said drum comprising
at least two axially-spaced annular parts, the adjacent portions of
the adjacent parts of the drum being shaped to define a chamber in
the peripheral portion of the drum, and the adjacent parts being
axially spaced to define an outlet from the chamber, and
a lip on each said part, the lips lying on opposite sides of the
opening and being formed from a deformable material, and
means associated with the lips to selectively block the
opening.
11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the said means
associated with the lips comprises
an annular member surrounding the lips, said member having outlet
apertures and being slidable to move the apertures selectively
into, and out of, communication with the opening.
12. A centrifuge comprising a housing divided into two parts which
combine to enclose a frusto-conically shaped chamber, means for
adding to the chamber a material to be separated by centrifugal
force, an annular flange about an end of each of said parts, the
flange of one part being disposed in spaced face-to-face relation
with the flange of the other part, means for securing the flanges
together in said spaced face-to-face relationship, a deformable
member carried by each of the flanges and disposed with respect to
each other to define an outlet through which one of the components
of the material separated by the centrifuge is discharged, said
deformable members being adapted to be alternately pressed into
contact with each other to close the said outlet and released to
open the outlet, and means for pressing the deformable members
together to close the outlet.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to centrifugal separating
apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been proposed centrifugal separating apparatus for
separating, for example, a liquid and a solid, or two different
liquids, comprising a drum consisting of at least two parts having
frusto-conical walls defining chambers for one of the separated
components. In order to discharge this component from the chamber,
one of the parts of the drum is axially displaceable so as to
provide a circular outlet opening from the drum.
In this previously proposed apparatus, the parts of the
centrifuging drum are made of a rigid material and the mechanism
for displacing the parts of the drum is very complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided in
centrifugal separating apparatus, a rotatable drum, said drum
comprising at least two parts, said parts having frusto-conical
walls which co-operate to define a chamber to receive a component
separated in the drum, the adjacent edges of the parts being spaced
to define a circular outlet opening from the chamber, the said
edges comprising two lips of a deformable material, and means
co-operating with the lips to bring the lips selectively into an
open or a closed position.
According to the present invention, there is also provided in
centrifugal separating apparatus, a rotatable drum, said drum
comprising at least two axially-spaced annular parts, the adjacent
portions of the adjacent parts of the drum being shaped to define a
chamber in the peripheral portion of the drum, and the adjacent
parts being axially spaced to define an outlet from the chamber,
and a lip on each said part, the lips lying on opposite sides of
the opening and being formed from a deformable material, and means
associated with the lips to selectively block the opening.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of
example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic
drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of centrifugal separating
apparatus in accordance with the invention;
FIGS. 2 to 4 are fragmentary sections, to enlarged scales, showing
the different arrangements for closing an outlet opening of a drum
of the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of a modified form of
drum; and
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section of another form of centrifugal
separating apparatus in accordance with the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The centrifugal separating apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has a drum
comprising two parts 1 and 2 made of a relatively deformable
material. One of the parts, 1, is reinforced externally by bands 3
and 4, preferably metal bands, and the two parts 1 and 2 have at
their end portions metal rings 5 and 6 rotatably mounted in support
members 11 and 12 by means of ball bearings 9 and 10.
The material to be treated (for example a liquid) is introduced
through an inlet 13 into the drum and is subjected therein to the
action of centrifugal force which causes separation into an outer
layer of a relatively heavy component, and an inner layer of a
relatively lighter component.
The inner layer is withdrawn from the drum in the direction of the
arrow A, through an outlet 14 whereas the outer layer consisting
for example of a sediment or a different liquid accumulates in a
peripheral chamber 15 defined by frusto-conical walls 7 and 8 of
the parts 1 and 2 of the drum.
The parts 1 and 2 are joined together by a plurality of screws 16
provided with nuts 17 and distributed around the periphery of the
parts: spacers 18 are interposed between the parts 1 and 2 so as to
define a circular outlet opening 19 for the passage of the
component accumulating in the chamber 15. The opposing edges 20 and
21 of the parts 1 and 2 have extensions in the form of deformable
annular lips 22 and 23 which consist of the same material as the
parts 1 and 2 and which are moulded integrally with those parts.
The lips 22 and 23 are provided with grooves 24 and can lie in a
spaced configuration (as shown in FIG. 1) or in a configuration in
which they are in contact so as to block or close the circular
opening 19.
The lips 22 and 23 are fast with annular members 25 and 26
respectively, the members 25 and 26 consisting of soft iron and
constituting armatures capable of being attracted by cores 27 and
28 of annular coils 29 and 30 when the coils are energised by the
passage of an electric current. When the members 25 and 26 are
attracted by the cores of the coils 29 and 30 as indicated by the
arrows F and F.sub.1, the lips 22 and 23 come into contact and
cause the circular opening 19 to be closed.
In the arrangement shown in FIG. 2, the lips 22 and 23 are located
in rigid housings 31 and 32, preferably of metal, and rods 33 and
34 of electromagnets 35 and 36 are adapted to urge the housings 31
and 32 towards each other when the electromagnets are connected to
a source of electric current, whereby to close the opening 19.
In the arrangement shown in FIG. 3, one of the lips, 22, is fixed
and located in a rigid housing 37 whereas the other lip, 23, is
provided with a deformable portion 38 which enables the lip 23 to
be displaced by means of a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 39 of
which the actuating rod 40 is rigid with a housing 41 fixed to the
periphery of the lip 23. The cylinder 39 acting in the direction of
the arrow F.sub.2 causes the lip 23 to contact the lip 22 so as to
close the circular opening 19. The relative moement of the lips 22
and 23 can alternatively be effected by entirely mechanical means,
for example by cams.
In the arrangement shown in FIG. 4, the lips are deformable and are
fixed in position, the outer edges of the lips contacting a
slidable annular member 44 having apertures 45 adapted to permit
discharge through the circular opening when the apertures 45 are
aligned with the opening.
In order to provide rigidity for the structure, housings 46 and 47
are mounted on screws 16 on each side of the lips.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the drum comprises a plurality
of parts 48a, 48b, 48c and 48d of which the walls define a
plurality of peripheral chambers 49a, 49b and 49c having
corresponding outlet openings 50a, 50b and 50c. The outlet openings
are bounded by deformable annular lips 51 and 52 associated with
one of the means described above.
In the embodiments particularly described the drum is made of a
plastics material, and the lips are formed integrally therewith;
the drum can, however, be made of metal to which lips made of
deformable material are attached.
The drum is preferably driven by a linear motor 53 (FIG. 1) which
co-operates with a metal disc 54 rigid with the ring 5 provided at
the end of the part 1. Alternatively, the drum can be driven by a
conventional motor through a suitable transmission.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the drum is rotatable about a
vertical axis and is closed at its bottom 55. The material to be
treated is introduced through an upper inlet 56 by means of a
vertical duct 57 which leads to the bottom part of the drum. After
a centrifugal separating action has been effected one of the
components of the material (this component itself being a liquid)
is evacuated through orifices 58 provided in the periphery of the
upper part 2 of the drum.
* * * * *