Abstract: A temperature-controlled centrifuge in which a heat exchanger is attached to the bottom portion of the centrifuge bowl to remove heat from the bowl and materials within the bowl interacting therewith. In one embodiment, a heat exchange plate having a plurality of substantially annular channels is appropriately attached to the bottom of the centrifuge bowl and has a surface which is thus substantially coextensive therewith. Each of these channels are positioned at different radial distances from the central axis of the heat exchange plate and each extends substantially about such axis. An appropriate heat transfer medium may thus be circulated through each of these channels to thereby substantially control a temperature across the entire bottom of the bowl. The heat transfer medium may be provided to each of the channels by a common feed inlet which also allows for the use of flow regulators where appropriate, and the heat transfer medium may also thus be removed from the channels by a common dump line.

Abstract: A centrifugal separator with substantially continuous discharge of the concentrate comprises a centrifuge drum with axially spaced rings projecting inwardly from the peripheral wall of the drum. The material between the rings is fluidized by injection of water. Each channel between the rings has a number of exit openings at the base of the channel for discharge of the concentrate. Each exit opening includes a pinch valve to restrict the discharge to predetermined time periods. Each exit includes injection openings around the exit for injecting water to replace the material discharged to maintain the fluidization between the channel.

Abstract: An apparatus for separating solids and liquid mixtures such as to form concentrated sludge including a solid bowl worm centrifuge which has a slurry admission inlet and outlets for a liquid fraction and for concentrated sludge. A detector for detecting the consistency of the sludge leaving the centrifuge, a conduit for bypassing slurry being supplied from a source to the centrifuge and a control valve for controlling the amount bypassed as a function of the consistency of the sludge fraction and in some instances also a conduit for feeding a dilution liquid to the sludge leaving the centrifuge.

Abstract: A centrifugal separator in which a wash fluid zone is formed within the confines of an annular weir, with excess wash fluids passing via a spillway to an excess wash fluid outlet. Recyclable fluids are forced into a wash fluid/recyclable fluid interface on top of the wash fluid zone by centrifugal force with recyclable fluids being skimmed from the wash fluid/recyclable fluid interface through a recyclable fluid outlet. Solids are propelled by centrifugal force outwardly toward interior sidewalls and washed down sloped interior sidewalls toward a solids outlet by wash fluids fed continuously in through a wash fluids inlet. A rotating shaft is provided having a plurality of arms which extend to immediately adjacent the solids outlet. The arms have paddle shaped extremities.

Abstract: A centrifuge bowl of the type having a shell including a peripheral wall and a cast inner liner attached to the inside surface of the peripheral wall is modified by the provision of a plurality of punched channel portions which extend inwardly into the bowl from peripheral wall to define a U-shaped channel with severed ends. During the casting process the casting plastics material extends into the recess behind each channel portion and thus when set forms an insert portion which anchors the liner to the channel portion and thus to the peripheral wall. Openings for the entry of fluidizing water are then drilled through the insert portion from the outside of the shell through one end of the channel portion and through the liner into the interior of the bowl.

Abstract: A centrifugal separator of the type comprising a bowl having a base and a peripheral wall surrounding a vertical axis about which the bowl rotates and a jacket having a base plate under the base of the bowl and a sleeve surrounding the peripheral wall includes a central bottom discharge for the concentrate. The bowl is mounted on the shaft with a hub connecting the shaft to the base plate of the jacket. Water is supplied through the shaft and through a pair of ducts passing through the hub and into the area of the base of the bowl. The discharge also extends through the hub through a pair of ducts which diverge from the central discharge opening outwardly and downwardly into a collection chamber. The discharge duct portions through the hub are angularly offset from the water supply duct portions through the hub so that both can be formed in the hub.

Abstract: A centrifugal drier for a product, comprises a horizontally supported rotating drive shaft including an axial passageway adapted to be a filling pipe for the product; a drum having a closed end secured to one end of the drive shaft and an open end; a conical filter mounted inside the drum, tapering from narrow to wide toward the drum open end; a rotatably mounted baffle disk being displaceable between a closed position sealing the drum open end and an open position for adjustable discharge of the dried product, the filter and the baffle disk defining a work area, the axial passageway communicating with the work area; an annular duct operably associated with the drum open end and cooperating with the baffle disk for receiving the dried product when the baffle disk is in the open position; and a backflusher disposed outside the filter for backflushing the filter with fluid.

Abstract: A centrifugal rotor comprising a plurality of peripheral cuvettes and a collection chamber spaced radially inward from the cuvettes is disclosed. The rotor includes a means for introducing fluid into the collection chamber and plurality of generally radial inlet channels connecting each cuvette to the chamber. Each inlet channel has a discrete flow path for fluid to enter the cuvette and another discrete flow path for gas to exit the cuvette as the cuvette is filled. Positioned radially inward from each cuvette is a reflective surface capable of deflecting a light beam from a generally vertical direction to a generally horizontal direction or vice versa. As the rotor is spun, fluid enters the cuvettes from collection chamber through the inlet channels, which also allow gas in the cuvettes to escape, thus avoiding the creation of bubbles in the cuvette after the cuvettes are filled. The contents are then optically analyzed by passing a light beam horizontally through the cuvette.

Abstract: A method for the automatic operation of a centrifugal drier comprising a rotary cylindrical screening basket and which is operated cyclically in successive cycles whose rhythm is a function of the flow of the product to be dried and each of which includes the stages of charging the basket with the product containing a particulate solid material, accelerating the rotary basket for centrifugally separating liquid from the solid mataerial to obtain the solid material in predried form, washing the predried solid material with a washing liquid, maintaining the basket at a constant rotary speed until the solid material has been completely dried, decelerating the rotary basket and discharging the dried solid material from the basket at a low rotary speed, which comprises, at the end of each cycle, the steps of fixing the duration of the stage of completely drying the solid material as a function of the time available for the following cycle to reduce the time interval between two successive cycles to a minimum, and

Abstract: A centrifugal rotor for separating plasma from whole blood includes a plurality of internal chambers and passages for combining the plasma with one or more reagents and distributing the plasma to a plurality of individual test wells. The chambers and passages necessary for separating the whole blood into plasma are located on a first, upper level within the rotor and include a measuring chamber, an overflow chamber, a separation chamber, and a reagent chamber. The measuring chamber and overflow chamber have capillary dimensions so that an initial volume of whole blood partitions therebetween, with the measuring chamber filling first to provide a preselected volume. The separation chamber is located radially outward from both the measuring chamber and the reagent chamber to that spinning of the rotor causes both the reagent and the measured blood volume to flow outward into the separation chamber.

Abstract: A disposable manifold and valve for fluid processing are claimed in which a manifold provides a plurality of sterile paths for directing the flow of fluids. A rotatable valve employs a cam to control the flow of fluids through the manifold. The valve and manifold system are suited for the processing of blood and particularly for the washing of shed blood retrieved during surgery.

Abstract: Method and apparatus is disclosed for mixing two or more materials normally considered difficult to evenly and homogeneously intermix such as, for example, viscous fluids. The apparatus is also effectively usable to entrain a gas in a liquid and for ceramic particle formation. The mixing portion of the apparatus includes a mixing chamber in the form of a narrow gap between two walls movable relative to one another. The mixing chamber has individual inlets thereto at one end thereof for individually introducing the different elements to be mixed therein and an outlet at the opposite end for discharge therefrom of the mixed elements. The mixing chamber is preferably an annular chamber in the form of a truncated cone and defined by spaced apart walls, one of which is movable relative to the other by rotation. The distance between the walls defining the mixing chamber is preferably selectively adjustable.

Abstract: The centrifuge has a self-emptying drum. The jacket of the drum has expulsion apertures that lead from the solids space and that can be closed off by a piston slide. With the piston slide is associated a closure chamber. The closure chamber has channels for supplying closure liquid and communicates through a let-off channel in the form of an annular gap with a chamber. The inside diameter of the chamber equals the outside diameter of the closure chamber. The chamber can accommodate all the closure liquid in the closure chamber. This makes it possible to completely empty the closure chamber, so that there is no residual closure force on the piston slide.

Abstract: Screw conveyor of solid bowl centrifuge has its flight member modified at the bowl dry beach area by welding sheet metal, for example, to trailing surfaces of the flight forming a chamber for rinse liquid driven thereinto. Leading or working surfaces of the flight are provided with a plurality of series of orifices per 360.degree. revolution thereof, each series comprising spaced orifices extending inwardly from a distal portion thereof and preferentially angled therethrough. Overflow passageways with cooperating baffles are provided. Thus, rinse liquid passes onto solids pile surfaces through orifices immediately inwardly thereof as well as through orifices submerged by the solids for passage of rinse liquid thereinto.

Abstract: A centrifugal separator of the type comprising a bowl which is rotated about its axis and which has on the inner surface of the peripheral wall, a plurality of axially spaced radially extending rings and in between the rings, a plurality of openings through which water is injected from outside the bowl, has the openings arranged tangentially to the surface of the bowl and in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation to improve the fluidization of the material on the peripheral surface of the bowl. The openings are manufactured from a plurality of separate wall portions, each of which has projections stamped outwardly which are then drilled to provide tangentially extending holes. The wall portion is then rolled and assembled with a plurality of rings into a bowl where each wall portion is of greater diameter than the previous bowl portion closer to the base. An opening in the base lies under the lowermost ring and extends into a projection from the lowermost peripheral wall portion.

Abstract: The screw centrifuge has a cylindrical clarifying part and a conical desiccating part which is provided with axial supply pipes for a washing liquid and with openings for the passage of the washing liquid into the chamber between the drum and the screw core. A substantial improvement in the washing effect is achieved in that the openings are connected to a liquid distributor which is positioned along a cylindrical helix and which charges the washing liquid regularly along the screw flank over at least one turn in the vicinity of the screw core. The liquid distributor either comprises an overflow channel which is positioned in or directly upstream of the screw flank, or it is formed from a compact series of nozzles which are directed at the screw flank. It is an essential feature of this arrangement that the solids which are pushed up by the screw flanks are covered and saturated regularly with the washing liquid.

Abstract: A centrifuge drum with a beveled-plate insert consists of individual plates held apart by spacing strips. The plates are mounted on a distributor foot. The bottom of the distributor foot has channels through which the liquid to be centrifuged is conducted into the separation space. There are ribs in the separation space. Between the ribs are lifting channels into which the channels in the distributor foot empty. The lifting channels are formed by the ribs and are positioned behind the spacing strips in the direction in which the drum rotates. The layout of the lifting channels prevents the liquid flowing into the plate insert from mixing with the solid particles that have been centrifuged out and are sliding out of the insert.

Abstract: A self-discharging centrifugal drum for clarifying and separating suspensions has an axially displaceable piston valve that is bounded above by a solids space and that opens and closes expulsion openings in the drum jacket. A closure compartment that can be charged with closure fluid is disposed below the piston valve and into which the closure fluid is supplied through a channel that is connected to an intermediate compartment for closure fluid. The closure compartment is evacuated to initiate discharge of the drum packing by a centrifugal valve. The valve that evacuates the closure compartment is a centrifugal valve that contains a movable valve cone, with the valve cone activated by control fluid and having a valve projection that is smaller in diameter than the valve cone and that is sealed into the drum jacket behind the valve cone so that the valve projection will extensively choke or close the channel that connects the closure compartment to the intermediate compartment when the valve cone opens.

Abstract: A self-discharging centrifugal drum for clarifying and separating suspensions, has an axially displaceable piston valve that is bounded above by a solids space and that opens and closes expulsion openings in the drum jacket. A closure compartment that can be charged with closure fluid and that can be evacuated through a centrifugal valve in the drum jacket is disposed below the piston valve. A second fluid-controlled centrifugal valve in the drum jacket is connected through connecting channels to the closure compartment and through a connecting channel with a reservoir in the drum jacket that is always charged with closure fluid and subjected to fluid pressure when the drum is in operation. When the closure compartment is evacuated, a valve cone in the second centrifugal valve opens to establish a connection between the closure compartment and the reservoir. This permits not only sudden evacuation but also just as sudden charging of the closure compartment with closure fluid.

Abstract: A centrifuge apparatus (10) for separating multi-phase fluid is disclosed. The centrifuge apparatus (10) includes a bowl-like structure (12) rotatably mounted in a housing (14) for rotation about a vertical axis. The centrifuge apparatus (10) further includes means for introducing multi-phase fluid into the bowl (12) and means for driving the bowl (12) at a predetermined rotation speed. A rotor assembly is coaxially mounted in the bowl (12) for rotation therewith to accelerate or impel the multi-phase fluid such that the fluid is separated into heavier phase fluid and lighter phase fluid with solid particles being collected on the inner surface of a bowl side wall portion (16).A top wall member (18) of the bowl (12) defines axially directed openings (50) therein for discharging the heavier phase fluid. Discharge means positioned in the cylindrical side wall portion (16) extend radially into the interior of the bowl (12) for discharging the lighter phase fluid.