Patent GB-453652-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in continuous automatic centrifugal separating machines
IPC: B04B11/04
Filed: 1935-02-15
Abstract: 453,652. Centrifugal machines. AMERICAN CENTRIFUGAL CORPORATION, 70, Pine Street, New York, U.S.A. Feb. 15, 1935, No. 4980. Convention date, Feb. 28, 1934. [Class 23] A centrifugal machine for the treatment of sewage and like material has a rotary imperforate basket above a tank which receives the effluent from the basket; the effluent is subjected to the action of air currents, the flow of which is assisted by the rotation of the basket, and which produce an oxidation effect on the effluent. The machine is of the same type as that described in Specification 453,651, and has a casing composed of four parts 1, 2, 3, 4, the top part 4 forming a cover while the lowest part 1 has an internal wall 20 with a flange 24 forming an annular trough 22 at the top of the tank formed in the hollow base 7, 8. The basket 13 has an imperforate cylindrical wall, and a bottom plate 31 with a number of apertures 34 round the hub for the discharge of separated sludge from the basket. The top plate 32 of the basket has a series of radial channels 36, Fig. 9, in its lower face, and these are covered by a screen or seepage plate 37 with inclined openings 38 leading into the channels ; vertical openings 39 near the periphery of the plate lead to the space between the basket and the casing. The plate 37 is covered by a plate screen 42 with groups of perforations 43 arranged over the inclined openings 38. The basket is driven through bevel gearing and clutches 66, 67 by high and low speed motors 68, 69, arranged at right angles to each other, for separating the material and discharging the sludge respectively. The material is supplied through a valve 73 which may be operated through worm gearing by a hand wheel 79 or automatically by means of an electric motor. From the valve it passes to two branch pipes 80 with outlets 81 discharging at opposite sides of the baskets. Mounted in quadrature with the feed pipes 80 are two hollow shafts 83 which carry hollow curved scrapers 84, Figs. 5, 6, having toothed cutting blades 87. Each scraper has a jet opening 105 behind its blade, and has a deflecting surface 89 with a curved inclined shoulder 90 at the front side of its blade. The upper ends of the hollow shafts 83 carry arms 107 which are operated as described in Specification 453,651 to bring the scrapers into and out of engagement with the deposited sludge. The lower ends have air discharge nozzles 99 disposed vertically within recesses 100 in the lower parts of the scrapers. A rotary air compressor 91 is mounted on the base and is rotated through bevel gearing and clutch 92 whenever the basket is rotated. The pump is connected by a pipe 94 to the upper ends of the hollow shafts 83, and also by a branch pipe 123 to a ring 124, at the top of the basket, provided with a series of jet apertures for the discharge of compressed air into the channels 36 of the top plate to clean the openings 38, 43, and to pass into the space 41. A hopper 25 is provided to supply chemicals for the treatment of the effluent in the tank. While the machine is running, the separated liquid passes through the channels 36 and openings 39 to the space 41, the trough 22 and the tank' in the base. During its travel it is mixed with atmospheric air which finds its way into the casing, the mixing being aided by the rotation of the basket, and also with the chemicals supplied through the hopper 25. The treated effluent is drawn off through the pipes 23. After the separation the scrapers are moved into engagement with the sludge deposit; the shavings are deflected by the shoulders 90 to drop through the openings 34 the discharge being assisted by compressed air discharged through the nozzles 99. Air discharged through the openings 105 cleans the cutters and the surface of the basket.