Separator drum having a distributor flow channel with a dam

A rotatable separator drum includes a vertical rotating axis of rotation and at least one flow channel having an inlet opening and an outlet opening. Also included is at least one retaining dam arranged in the at least one flow channel in a region between the inlet opening and the outlet opening. The at least one retaining dam is configured to allow an overflow of liquid over the at least one dam and to provide for an accumulation of solids in front of the at least one dam. The at least one dam includes at least one rib arranged in a transitional region between opposing wall sections and a distributor base cover and the at least one rib includes portions having differing heights.

This application is a national stage of International Application PCT/EP2008/005152, filed Jun. 25, 2008, the content of which Application is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present relates to a rotatable separator drum with a vertical rotating axis. The separator drum includes at least one flow channel having an inlet opening and an outlet opening and may include a disk-shaped component located in at least one surface of the drum.

A generic separator drum is known, for example, from DE 19519693 C1 or DE 10 2006 047478 A1, with the disk-shaped component being the distributor base, which on its bottom side has a substantially conical shape and thus a respectively exemplary disk-like shape.

Distributors are used for guiding the product to be processed from a feed pipe through the flow channels, which are also known as distributor conduits, into the drum. This construction has proven its worth. It is problematic, however, that the flow channels are subjected to a higher amount of wear and tear, especially in processing products which contain abrasively acting solid matter. Such wear and tear can have a disadvantageous effect on the service life of the distributor. Similar problems can occur in other elements of the separator drum, especially the disk-shaped components, such as separator disks, drum parts or plates which are attached to the inside surfaces of the drum parts. For example, the flow progresses from the outside to the inside on the separator disks, whereas it progresses from the inside to the outside otherwise.

The present disclosure relates to solving this problem.

The present disclosure thus relates to a rotatable separator drum having a vertical axis of rotation and at least one flow channel having an inlet opening and an outlet opening. Further included is at least one retaining dam arranged in the at least one flow channel in a region between the inlet opening and the outlet opening. In front of which at least one retaining dam, an accumulation of solid matter forms during an operation of a processing of a solid-matter-containing product by the rotatable separator drum. A disk-shaped component may be located on at least one surface of the drum and at least one flow channel may be formed on the disk-shaped component.

Accordingly, at least one retaining dam is arranged in the at least one flow channel between the inlet opening and the outlet opening, wherein solid matter accumulates during operation in front of the retaining dam while the product containing solid matter is processed.

The component, which is disk-shaped in at least one surface, is a base section of a distributor which is connected with the drum in a torsion-proof manner. The base section is provided with at least one or several of the flow channels which extend at an angle in relation to the rotational axis, for example, radially to the outside. At least one of the retaining dams is arranged in the at least one flow channel in the region between the inlet opening and the outlet opening.

The retaining dam is arranged in such a way that solid matter will accumulate in front of the retaining dam in operation during the processing of a solid-containing product in the direction of flow from the inside to the outside. Such an accumulation or accumulations of material act, in the operation of the separator, like a wearing protection for the disk-shaped part, especially for the cover of the distributor base. The present disclosure relates to a separator drum that achieves this processing in a simple comprehensive way.

At least one embodiment, according to the present disclosure, is disclosed and described herein.

Other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following descriptions when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1shows a separator drum1with a vertical rotating axis D which comprises a centric feed pipe2which opens into a distributor3. The distributor3comprises a centric inlet pipe section4at its entrance in axial extension of the feed pipe2which converges into a base section5.

Radially outwardly extending flow channels6are adjacent to the centric inlet pipe section4in the base section5in a circumferentially distributed manner at an angle to the rotating axis D. Such an angle may, for example, be an acute or right angle. The flow channels6extend with respect to the rotating axis D in a downwardly oblique way, for example. The flow channels6may also be arranged at an acute angle from the inlet feed pipe section4in an upwardly oblique way.

A stack7of separator disks8is arranged in the drum1. Discharges9,10, for at least one or several liquids and, for example, what may be one solid phase, are used for discharging the separated and/or clarified phases from drum1. The distributor4is fastened, via suitable means, to the drum1. The product flow is indicated by the flow arrows.

The flow channels6extend in the distributor base5from the inlet openings11into the flow channels6to the outlet openings12from the flow channels6into the interior space of the separator drum1.

The flow channels6are covered upwardly by a conical distributor base cover13. The flow channels6are delimited by wall sections14on a side or in a circumferential direction. The distributor base cover13is arranged in a disk-like manner on a bottom side of the flow channels6.

Several retaining dams15are arranged in the flow channels6in a region between the inlet openings11and the outlet openings12, as seen inFIG. 3.FIG. 3illustrates a retaining dam15in the manner of a view beneath the distributor base cover13. The retaining dams15constrict the cross section of the flow channel6in this region.

The retaining dams15may be arranged or comprised as ribs. These ribs15may be arranged or formed in the transitional region between one of the side walls or wall sections14and the distributor base cover13. Thus may occur, for example, in the transitional region between the wall section14, which is at the rear in operation in a direction of rotation U, and the distributor base cover13. In the circumferential direction, the flow channels6are separated from one another by the wall sections14.

According to the present disclosure, the ribs15may have a triangular section16in the region which extends on the bottom side of the distributor base cover13over a portion of the circumferential length of the flow channel6and then converges into a web section17. The substantially triangular section16can also be arc-shaped, for example, in its region of its base side18. A height H of the sections15and16may be at least 2 mm or more. The section16, for example, may extend up to the side wall14which is the next one in the circumferential direction. According to the present disclosure, more than three dams15may be distributed in each flow channel6. According to the present disclosure, a continuous wear-protecting coating may be formed over time on the bottom side of the distributor base cover13.

In the direction of flow, which extends radially from the inside to the outside, accumulations of solid matter, or a layer of the solid matter, are formed in the direction of flow from the inside to the outside before the ribs15, which accumulations are unproblematic in the processing of products that are not critical from a hygienic standpoint on the one hand, and which are advantageous as a wearing protection on the other hand, thus acting in a life-extending capacity.

Although the present disclosure has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that this is done by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation. The scope of the present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.