Patent GB-1471227-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for separating solid liquid and gaseous mixtures
IPC: A47L11/30
Filed: 1974-06-26
Abstract: 1471227 Centrifugal separators; endless moving sieve H ALBISHAUSEN 26 June 1974 [26 June 1973] 28336/74 Headings BID, B2H and B2P An apparatus for separating the solid, liquid and gaseous constituents of a mixture comprises a housing; a separating and conveying unit 20, Fig. 1a, mounted in the housing and including a suction generating device 1, Fig. 1b, a rotary centrifuge 2 adjacent the device, and a rotary gas-separator 4 adjacent to the centrifuge; a pipe 11 having a mixture-receiving inlet and an outlet communicating with the gas separator 4 so that the mxture enters the separator 4 as a result of suction produced by the device 1, whereby the gaseous constituent passes through the centrifuge 2 and enters the device 1 while the liquid and solid constituents are separated from each other in the centrifuge; a receptacle 8 for liquid constituent in the housing; a pipe 7b establishing a path for the flow of liquid constituent between the receptacle and the centrifuge; and means 9, 10 for evacuating the separated solid constituent from the centrifuge. The mixture to be separated may be soiled cleaning liquid which after treatment in the apparatus is delivered under pressure to the cleaning appliance. The housing of the apparatus is mounted on rollers or castors. The separating and conveying unit 20 is partly accommodated in the receptacle 8 which constitutes a storage reservoir for the cleaned liquid. The suction generating device 1 is a multi-stage turbocompressor which is mounted on a drive shaft 3 which also drives the centrifuge 2 and the gas separator 4. The centrifuge 2 has a rotor 21 mounted in a casing 22 and comprising a starshaped arrangement of impeller blades 23 and two shell halves 24 which are fitted on the blades 23 and are spaced from each other to define an annular gap 10 constituting an outlet for the solid constituent and closable by a centrifugal force resilient packing ring 9. The rotor 21 contains a cylindrical chamber 6 for the separated liquid constituent and a separating chamber 5 subdivided into annular chambers 5a, 5b. The gas separator 4 contains bladed extensions of the centrifuge rotor blades 23. The pipe 7b which is stationary extends radially outwardly at one end into the chamber 6 and opens out at its outer end close to the bottom of the reservoir 8. An associated pipe 7a extends further outwardly into the chamber 6 and passes out of the reservoir 8, via an ultra-violet radiator 31 and a heater 33, to a point of use for connection to the cleaning appliance (not shown). Prior to entering the gas separator 4, the soiled cleaning liquid is fed through a separator 40, Figs. 1a and 4, for coarse material consisting of a plastics endless sieve 42 which passes between rollers 41, 43, 44 which are pressed against the lower run 42' of the sieve to loosen adhering coarse material which is subsequently removed by a brush-type roller. The soiled cleaning liquid freed of the coarse material is discharged at a point inside the screen connected to the supply pipe 11 leading to the gas separator 4. The pipe 11 has a supply arrangement 13 connected to the pipe 7a. An outlet 12, which has a non-return valve, is provided in the pipe 11 and serves for the evacuation of solids which are discharged from the centrifuge and pass, via an annular duct 14 in the casing 22 and passages in the adjacent portion of pipe 11, into the latter. In operation, vacuum established by the compressor 1 draws the mixture via the coarse material separator 40 and the pipe 11 into the gas separator 4 where the gaseous constituent, e.g. air, is separated out and is guided centrally through the centrifuge 2 and the compressor 1 to be discharged to the atmosphere. The solid and liquid constituents pass from the separator 4 into the centrifuge chamber 5 where particles of higher and lower specific gravity are concentrated in the annular chambers 5a and 5b respectively. The cleansed liquid passes through passages 5c into the chamber 6 where it is evacuated through the pipe 7a which acts as a pump. When due to rapid entry of liquid into, or low demand of liquid from, chamber 6 its level rises, the liquid reaches the pipe 7b which conveys it into reservoir 8. Solids are discharged from the chamber 5a when at reduced speed the packing ring 9 opens the annular gap 10. Since the vacuum in pipe 11 is also lowered at reduced speed. The non-return valve in the outlet 12 is opened and the solids are discharged or flushed out.