Abstract: Pasty, aqueous sludges of industrial or sewage treatment origin are dried for further use as raw material. The sludge particles are loosened by intense motion and substantially dry gases are introduced under pressure into the loosened sludge. The moisture enriched gases are removed from the sludge. The loosening and drying may be facilitated by repeatedly and sequentially increasing and decreasing the total surface area of the sludge. The intense motion is imparted to the sludge by at least one sludge stirring member and the drying gases may be introduced through the stirring member. The surface area of the sludge may be increased by plough-shaped or scraper-shaped tools. The surface area of the sludge may be decreased by rollers.

Abstract: Pasty, aqueous sludges of industrial or sewage treatment origin are dried for further use as raw material. The sludge particles are loosened by intense motion and substantially dry gases are introduced under pressure into the loosened sludge. The moisture enriched gases are removed from the sludge. The loosening and drying may be facilitated by repeatedly and sequentially increasing and decreasing the total surface area of the sludge. The intense motion is imparted to the sludge by at least one sludge stirring member and the drying gases may be introduced through the stirring member. The surface area of the sludge may be increased by plough-shaped or scraper-shaped tools. The surface area of the sludge may be decreased by rollers.

Abstract: A continuously operating centrifugal or centrifuge for centrifuging sugar massecuites and for remashing the centrifuged sugar, comprises a ring conduit with nozzles for mixing liquid directed at the upper wide end of the centrifugal basket. The ring conduit is arranged in a housing having a cover, above a frustum-shaped centrifugal basket equipped with screens and rotating about a vertical axis of rotation. A conical baffle member is arranged radially outside of the upper edge of the centrifugal basket for intercepting the sugar crystals. A cover ring is mounted at the upper end of the centrifugal basket at a small distance from the ring conduit. The radial width of the cover ring corresponds at least to the spraying range of the nozzles for the mixing liquid. The conical baffle member is shaped like a frustum and opens upwardly. The centrifuge includes a mixing compartment enclosed by smooth walls.

Abstract: A conical centrifugal basket suitable for continuously operating sugar centrifuges. The basket has at least two sections connected to each other by screws or the like extending through flanges which extend radially outwardly. The separation screen of the basket section having the larger diameter has a radial extension at the smaller diameter end. The radial screen extension is directed radially outwardly and is clamped between the flanges.

Abstract: A continuously operating sugar centrifuge has a centrifugal basket with three stages including a preseparating stage, an intermediate meshing-in and washing stage, and a separating stage proper. The intermediate stage has three zones, namely a first zone without any perforations or screens and with a cylindrical or somewhat inwardly inclined wall, adjacent to the preseparating stage, a second cylindrical or slightly outwardly inclined intermediate zone with a screening area in which the openings take up 2% maximum and a third zone having a wall with a 10.degree. outward inclination at the most which merges into said separating stage and which carries a screen having the largest possible screen openings. A liquid supply device is arranged to feed liquid into the intermediate stage.

Abstract: A diffusion tower for sugar beet cossettes is provided with a cossettes feed-in mechanism which includes at least one, preferably a plurality, of slots in the bottom of the tower housing. Each slot extends at an angle to the radial direction and is connected to a feed device or supply conduit for supplying a mixture of sugar beet cossettes and juice into the lower end of the tower housing. A screening feed screw may be arranged to return sugar beet cossettes into the tower to thereby facilitate the juice extraction.

Abstract: A centrifuge has a rotatable basket with a vertical axis of rotation and mounted within a housing. In order to prevent liquid moving along the inner walls of the housing from dropping into the basket, an elastic ring is coaxially mounted above the upper flange of the basket, and sealed with respect to the inside of the housing.

Abstract: A shredder for crushing materials, such as sugar cane, has a housing and a hammer rotor rotatably mounted in the housing for cooperation with an anvil resiliently mounted in the housing. The anvil is journaled at each of its lateral ends to a respective guide rod which form an acute angle with the anvil proper. The other end of the guide rod is journaled to the housing. At least one spring biased pressure member is mounted to the housing and acts on the anvil so that an effective force component extends tangentially to the anvil curvature. Adjustable abutments mounted to the housing cooperate with the anvil to adjust a working gap between the hammer rotor and the anvil.

Abstract: In a centrifuge, the centrifuge baskets may be conical or cylindrical, and the inner surface of the basket is provided with grooves or a mesh for forming flow-off paths. A screen is supported inside of a centrifugal drum, basket, or cage. The screen may rest on the inner surface of the drum, cage, or basket, or support members may be interposed between the screen, and the drum, basket or cage. In any event, passageways are provided between the screen and the rotating centrifugal member such as a drum, basket or cage. The radially outer surfaces of the screen are at least partially roughened, and corresponding contact areas of the supporting surface are also roughened, in order to increase the friction at said contact areas.

Abstract: The present drying drum includes a roller supported drum jacket which is connected at one end thereof to a drive shaft by means of radially extending arms whereby the drive shaft extends coaxially with the rotational axis of the drum jacket. The drive means proper are guided relative to said drive shaft by guide means forming part of the drive shaft itself or either by a bearing surface forming part of a spur gear connected to the drive shaft. The drive means are further connected through a guide rod with an abutment means for taking up the drive reaction.

Abstract: A continuously operating centrifuge for producing a high purity sugar or sugar syrup, has an acceleration bell or cone which acts as a preliminary separator, and a centrifugal basket, the lower portion of which acts as a washing stage. A damming ring is spaced from the upper edge of the basket to form with said upper edge a sugar exit gap. A discharge ring is arranged to cooperate with the damming ring. The discharge ring rotates with the basket, but about an axis extending at an angle relative to the rotational axis of the basket, whereby the actual sugar exit is confined to a predetermined zone along said sugar exit gap. A flow channel cooperates with said zone to receive the sugar without damage to the sugar crystals.

Abstract: A counter-current leaching or extraction tower for comminuted vegetable matter such as sugar beet cossettes, or crushed sugar cane, is provided with conveying elements, the longitudinal dimension of which may be altered in response to the operating condition in the material or matter being leached. Especially, the baffle members in the tower and, if desired, also the conveyor screw wings which are arranged to cooperate with the baffle members, are adjustable in their length in response to control signals derived from sensors, such as strain gauges, attached to the conveying elements. The angular position of the conveying elements in a plane parallel to the motion of the screw wings and relative to a radial direction may also be adjustable in response to the same type of control signals. The conveying elements may be constructed to include telescoping members which are longitudinally and thus radially extendable and retractable relative to the volume of the extraction tower.

Abstract: The present pulp catcher is provided with a rotating brush roller for cleaning the sieve or straining drum in a container. The shaft ends of the rotating brush roller are movably supported in bearings which are pressed by biasing means radially inwardly relative to the rotational axis of the straining drum. The shaft ends of the rotation brush roller are sealed by stuffing box means which are connected to the container by means of compensating corrugated tubings. The movable support of the shaft ends makes it possible to maintain the rotating brush roller at a most efficient spacing relative to the straining drum even when the bristles of the brush roller become shorter due to wear and tear.

Abstract: The present centrifuge is especially adapted for centrifuging massecuite in the production of sugar. Two functional and structural units are separated from each other in such a manner that each unit may be supported independently of the other unit, yet so as to properly cooperate with each other. Thus, an inner housing and the rotating drum with the drive means for the drum form an inner, integral unit while an outer housing and a cover as well as the massecuite supply means form a further, outer integral unit. A carrier member, preferably in the form of a hollow channel, extends from the inner housing through the outer housing to support the drum drive means outside of the outer housing, but as part of the inner unit.

Abstract: A high concentration sugar solution is produced by contacting sugar crystals as they emerge from a centrifuging basket, with pressurized solvent liquid sprayed from a plurality of nozzles to form a turbulent mist of solvent and to envelope the sugar crystals which are forced to travel through said turbulent mist of solvent to impinge upon a baffle guide ring. The turbulent flow of solvent mist and solvent enveloped sugar crystals is guided along said baffle guide ring to a back-up location, where sugar solution, air, and liquid mist are forced through a gap and over a damming ring wall surrounding the gap. The centrifuge for performing the foregoing process includes a centrifuging basket with an upper rim over which the sugar crystals emerge. A solvent supply ring with nozzles facing toward the rim is arranged above the upper basket rim. The baffle guide ring curves downwardly and surrounds an inner housing which in turn surrounds the basket.

Abstract: A drum for a centrifuge has a shell with a radially outer layer of plastic resin free of fibrous material, a radially inner layer of a fine mesh metal fabric embedded in a plastic resin material, and a plurality of intermediate layers of fibers, such as glass fibers embedded in plastic resin material, with the fibers of adjacent layers extending in different directions. The ends of the drum are thickened, and secured to flanges of end plates by screws having axially extending holes. Radially extending holes at the center of the shell are provided with tubular inserts. The holes axially extending through the screws also extend substantially radially relative to the drum.

Abstract: Continuously operable sugar centrifuge comprises a number of centrifuging channels forming part of a conical frustum and being symmetrically distributed relative to a rotational axis. Preferably, two channels are arranged to receive the massecuite through massecuite supply conduits connected to the upper ends of the centrifuging channels. The lower ends of the centrifuging channels are connected through radially extending sugar discharge conduits leading to a sugar outlet arranged coaxially with the drive shaft of the centrifuge. The sugar conduits have a radial dimension so that their outer ends extend outside of the centrifuging channels. The outer ends of the sugar conduits are provided with funnels facing with their open face in the direction of rotation of the centrifuge whereby an air stream transports the sugar radially inwardly from the centrifuging channels to the sugar outlet.

Abstract: An extraction tower for leaching sugar beet cossettes or comminuted sugar cane. A central shaft is rotatably supported in a tower housing. Feed advance wings for the material to be leached are secured to the central shaft with spacings between the wings. Baffle elements are secured to the inside of the tower housing so as to extend into the spacings between adjacent wings. The baffle elements are elongated plates which are secured to the housing wall at a plurality of points, preferably three points so as to simultaneously form a reinforcement of the tower housing. The baffle plates are twisted relative to a longitudinal axis so that one end of a plate has an inwardly and upwardly facing edge, while the opposite edge faces downwardly and vice versa.

Abstract: A support structure for a suspension centrifuge includes pressure responsive means for automatically monitoring and stopping the loading or filling of the centrifuge in response to a certain, if desired, adjustable pressure. For this purpose, the axial bearing is supported with its outer race by a piston ring which reaches into a ring groove or cylinder in a support ring. The ring groove contains a pressure medium and communicates with a pressure responsive switch means which is connected to control, for example, a filling valve for the centrifuge.

Abstract: A centrifuge has a frusto-conical rotary drum with a continuous surface. A first screen is spaced from the radially inner surface of the drum, and a second screen, coarser than the first screen, is spaced from the radially inner surface of the first screen. A feed container is provided at the narrower lower end of the drum, and means are provided for feeding material to be separated to the feed container, so that the material to be separated is fed from the feed container to the radially inner surface of the inner screen. Means are also provided to separately collect liquids at the upper end of the drum and solids at the upper ends of the screens.