Patent GB-675417-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to centrifugal machines
Inventor: HERTRICH JOSEPH
IPC: B04B3/00
Filed: 1950-05-11
Abstract: 675.417. Centrifugal machines. WESTERN STATES MACHINE CO. May 11, 1950, No. 11810/50. Class 23 Strainer separators.-A strainer separator having a basket closed at one end has a feed regulating device within the basket rotated by a shaft extending through the closed end and comprising peripherally spaced members having longitudinal surfaces spanning the length of the basket wall at an angle to the generating lines thereof, the arrangement providing a central unobstructed space at the open end of the basket for introduction of the charge. The longitudinal axes of the members may be inclined to the generating lines as shown in Figs. 1 and 7, or they may be parallel thereto in which case the members take the form of painted fingers and the device is also reciprocated axially. With a frustoconical basket the device is rotated slower than the basket. The axis of the basket may be horizontal. As shown in Fig. 1, the device is a conveyer and comprises helical members 21 carried by the spokes 24 of a hollow hub 23 rotated by a shaft 29 in the same direction as the basket but at a greater speed. The helical members comprise strips welded to perforated tubes, and the ends of the members adjacent the open end of the basket are connected by spokes 27 to a ring 26. Clarifying sugar.-Sugar crystals and mother liquid supplied by a pipe 52 pass to the bottom of the basket 1 through passages 53 in the hub. Mother liquid is collected in an annular chamber 71, washing liquid supplied through an adjustable nozzle 56 is collected in an annular chamber 70, and sugar crystals are discharged over the rim of the basket into an annular chamber. Hot water or steam supplied through a pipe 84 passes through passages 82 to escape through the perforations in the members to clean the perforations in the basket. The thickness of the charge on the basket walls is indicated by a line 44. In the modification shown in Fig. 7, the conveyer comprises fingers 121 carried by a hub 122. The fingers are hollow and in conjunction with the basket wall form passages for cleaning fluid supplied by a pipe 126. The conveyer has a combined reciprocating and rotary movement which causes it to rotate with the basket during upward strokes and to unscrew from the charge during downward strokes. In a further modification the conveyer rotates faster than the basket during the upward reciprocations. Discharging solids and liquids. - The capacities of the collecting chambers 70, 71, Fig. 1, for washing liquid and mother liquid may be altered by a movable partition 72. The sugar crystals collected in the chamber 62 are discharged by scrapers 66 attached to a rotary outer wall 63. Driving and suspending; vibration preventing.-The basket 1, Fig. 1, is carried by a hollow shaft 7 driven by a pulley 9. The shaft is supported by bearings 10, 11 held in a casing 12 supported from the machine frame F by resilient rings 15, 16. The conveyer is carried by the shaft 29 revolving in a bearing 30 in the basket bottom. The shaft 29 is rotated at a greater speed than the basket shaft by epicyclic gearing 33, 36a, 36b, 37 having the planet gears 36a, 36b rotated by the basket shaft 7. The sun gear 37 may be driven by a pulley 40 to vary the speed ratio between the basket and the conveyer. In the modification shown in Fig. 7, the basket is carried by a hollow shaft 104 rotated by a pulley 106. The conveyer is mounted on a shaft 130 revolving within the shaft 104 and having a clutch member 150 contained in a chamber 103 on the shaft 104. A companion clutch member 153 slidably mounted on the shaft 13u divides the chamber 103 into compartments 160, 161, and has teeth 155 engaging teeth 156 on the wall of the chamber 103. Fluid is supplied alternately to the compartments 160, 161 to reciprocate the clutch member 153 together with the conveyer so that on the upward strokes the conveyer rotates with the basket and on the downward strokes it unscrews from the basket charge. In a further modification the teeth 155, 156 are helical and the conveyer rotates faster than the basket during the upward strokes.