Patent ID: 6740026
Filing Date: 2004-05-25
Classification: B04B,F01M

Abstract:
A centrifugal separator for separating solid contaminants from a liquid supplied thereto at elevated pressure, said separator comprising:a housing having a base part and a cover part releasably secured to each other, and a separation rotor contained in said housing between the base part and cover parts, said rotor being mounted in said housing by a spindle so as to be rotatable about an axis extending between the base part and cover parts and to be displaceable along the axis between limits defined by said base part and cover parts; wherein said centrifugal separator further comprises a rotor restraint comprising: a restraining surface forming part of, or carried by, the rotor and extending radially and circumferentially of the rotor and facing away from the base part, and an abutment carried by the base part and having an abutment surface overlying the restraining surface at or beyond the limit of axial displacement of the rotor from the base part defined by the cover part, said abutment being operable to prevent further axial displacement of the rotor away from the base part if the cover part is removed; wherein the abutment comprises an axially extending body having, at a first end, a radially directed mounting flange for securing the abutment to the base part of the housing, and, at a second end, a radially inwardly directed flange overlying the restraining surface, and wherein said base part carries at least one fixed holding member and said radially directed mounting flange defines at least one open area through which each said holding member can pass axially when said abutment is in a first rotational position relative to said base part, and said radially directed mounting flange further comprises at least one portion which underlies each said fixed holding member when said abutment is in a second rotational position relative to said base part, whereby said abutment can be secured to said base part by passing the at least one holding member through the at least one open area and then rotating the abutment to said second rotational position.