Patent ID: 9522349
Filing Date: 2016-12-20
CPC Classification: B01D,B04B

Claim Text:
1. A method for processing a free-flowing product, the method steps comprising: providing at least one separator having a vertical axis of rotation, a rotatable centrifugal drum, and a plate assembly arranged in the drum; supplying the free-flowing product into the drum; separating one or more of a solids phase and at least two liquid phases from the free-flowing product; discharging one or more of the at least two liquid phases and the solids phase out of the drum; wherein the supplying of the free-flowing product occurs in one of a continuous and a discontinuous cyclic volume stream; wherein the supplying of the free-flowing product is performed at a constant cyclic frequency and wherein the constant cyclic frequency has a period duration T which is dependent on one or more of the following parameters: a) an inner radius (ri) of a plate of the assembly; b) an outer radius (ra) of the plate; c) an inflow stream (QT) in an intermediate space between the plate and an adjacent plate; d) a plate angle (α); and e) a distance (h) of the plate to the adjacent plate; and wherein the period duration T of the cycling of the volume stream is less than a time Tend in which a particle remains in the intermediate space between the plate and the adjacent plate, wherein wherein ra is the outer radius of the plate, ri is the inner radius of the plate, h is the distance of the plate to the adjacent plate, and wherein QT is the average inlet stream per plate and α is the plate angle.