Abstract: A belt dryer for dewatering fine particle suspensions includes a continuous conveyor belt with a slotted vacuum pipe disposed beneath a dewatering station, a support below the conveyor belt adjacent the dewatering station immediately downstream of the slotted pipe, and a press roll above the conveyor belt and adapted to exert pressure on the support bar to create an even film of suspension over the slot which facilitates extraction of filtrate.

Abstract: A rotary screen separator is described for separating liquids and solids from a slurry. The rotary screen separator includes a cylindrical straining screen rotatably mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis. The separator has a drive for rotating the straining screen at a constant low speed. The separator has a slurry feed means mounted within the interior of the straining screen for spreading the slurry into a thin curtain and directing the curtain downward against a downward moving portion of the straining screen to direct the slurry against the inner surface to enable liquid to pass through the screen to the outer surface and to push the solid materials forward along the inside surface to clean the inside surface. A compression roller is freely mounted within the straining screen for rolling with the moving screen to compress the solid material against the inner surface to remove additional liquid.

Abstract: An apparatus is described for automatically butchering crabs. The machine includes a conveyor for transporting successive crabs in an inverted condition past a series of spaced work stations. At a first work station the carapace is removed as the conveyor moves the crab past a carapace removing means. Side brushes at a second and third station rotate to remove the gills while jets of water are sprayed against the exposed bottom side to remove the viscera. The conveyor moves the crabs continuously along the prescribed path during this operation. Finally, a guillotine apparatus is positioned along the prescribed path at a fourth work station to successively sever the legs from the crab bodies. The eviscerated, legless bodies then drop into a receiving bin. The conveyor is controlled so as to move at a relatively slow rate while the crab carcasses move through each successive work station. The speed is then increased as the crabs move from one station to another.