Patent ID: 6607473
Filing Date: 2003-08-19
Classification: B04B,C02F

Abstract:
A method of separating a liquid-liquid mixture, comprising:feeding the liquid-liquid mixture into a chamber of a vessel, the liquid-liquid mixture comprising a heavy component and a light component, the vessel including an inlet, a light component outlet, and a heavy component outlet, a first valve regulating the flow of the light component through the light component outlet and a second valve regulating the flow of the heavy component through the heavy component outlet; rotating the vessel about a rotational axis extending through the vessel as the liquid-liquid mixture is feed into the chamber such that the heavy component collects toward at least a portion of the peripheral wall of the vessel radially outward from the rotational axis and the light component collects toward the rotational axis; setting the first valve such that the light component exits therethrough at a first pressure; and setting the second valve such that the heavy component exits therethrough at a second pressure, the second pressure being different than the first pressure such that a boundary line between the heavy component and the light component is produced within the chamber at a radial distance from the rotational axis.