Abstract: A method and apparatus for efficiently separating solids from liquid/solid slurries are disclosed. The slurry to be separated is retainably placed within a container having one or more lift paddles secured within its inner cavity. The container is supported for rotation about an axis and has drive means for slowly rotating the container. As the container rotates, the lift paddles lift a portion of the retained slurry, allowing the liquid portion to fall back into the primary slurry pool to be separated, and lifting the solids toward the top of the rotation path of the paddles. The separated solids slide by gravity off of the lift paddles as they approach the top of their rotation paths and into a collection hopper and transport means that carry them away from the container. The liquids returned to the primary retained slurry within the container assist in washing the slurry for facilitating solids separation without required increase in the retained slurry volume.

Abstract: There is disclosed an electronic control means for a pump, the control means comprising: input means, for accepting input signals, the input signals being indicative of the values of variable quantities which determine a desired flow rate of a fluid which, in use, is to be supplied by a pump; an electronic memory, comprising a plurality of memory locations, each memory location corresponding to a particular combination of values of the variable quantities and containing a stored control signal corresponding to the desired fluid flow rate determined by those values; and output means, for supplying the control signal, in use, to the pump. More specifically, there is disclosed equipment suitable for distributing a fluid over an area of land, the equipment comprising distribution means, to which fluid is supplied by a pump driven by an electric motor, the delivery rate of the fluid from the pump being a function of the operating speed of the pump, the equipment further comprising such control means.