Abstract: A decanter centrifuge including a drum that is rotatably journalled at its ends includes a separating compartment defined by end walls and a rotatably journalled conveyor disposed in the separating compartment and rotatably journalled in two bearings, one located at the free end of a trunnion projecting into the conveyor body. The separating compartment has a length to diameter ratio greater than four and the trunnion has a length in the range from 0.5 to 3 times the largest diameter of the separating compartment. Due to the short distance between the conveyor bearings, the rigidity of the conveyer increases, thereby increasing the critical RPM of the drum.

Abstract: The decanter centrifuge (1) comprises a conveyor screw (5) constructed as a hollow body with a lower average density than the lighter liquid phase of the surrounding slurry. The conveyor (5) thus flows in said liquid phase which is utilized in that the one traditional radial bearing of the conveyor is replaced by a radial support bearing (22) which only during starting and stopping of the centrifuge cooperates with the conveyor (5) in order to prevent it from contacting the bowl (2). In operation, the conveyor is thus only supported in the radial direction at the one end, entailing that the flexural rigidity of the conveyor becomes less important to the maximum allowable number of revolutions of the centrifuge which may then be increased for a given centrifuge, thereby obtaining an improved separating effect.