Improvements in Centrifugal Liquid Separators.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1897--Accepted, 20th, Feb., 1897
[Communicated from abroad by DAVID HAMLIN BURRELL and EDWARD
JONATHAN BURRELL, both of Little Falls, in the County of Herkimer, in
the State of New York, United States of. America, Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Centrifugal Liquid Separators.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to the division contrivances, which are used in the bowls
of centrifugal liquid separators such as centrifugal creamers, for increasing the
separating capacity of the bowl and for increasing the, efficiency, or, closeness of
the separation.
The object of our invention is to so construct the division.contrivance that it can
be readily inserted into the bowl and removed therefrom and that, when it has
been removed from the bowl, its members or blades can be readily separated or
spread out for cleaning the same without requiring, the members, or blades, to be
detached from each other.
In the accompanying drawings
:
Figure, 1 is a sectional elevation of a centrifugal liquid separator provided with
my improved division contrivance in which the members are composed of spiral
upright blades which are movably connected at their outer edges.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22.of.Figure 1..
Figure 3 is a top plan view, drawn to a reduced scale, of the division contrivance
removed from the bowl and spread out in a straight line.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of some of the blades of the division, contrivance.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of a centrifugal liquid, separator provided with
my improved division contrivance in which the members or. blades are movably
connected at their inner.edges.
J
Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line 66 of Figure 5.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of some of the blades of this construction.
Figure is a sectional elevation of a centrifugal liquid separator, provided
with our improved division contrivance in which the members or blades are
movably connected at their outer edges and provided with upwardly tapering side
flanges.
Figure 9 is a horizontal section on the line 99 of Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a side elevation of some of these blades.
Figure 11 is a bottom plan view of one of these blades, and
Figure 12 is a perspective view of some of these blades.
Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.
}
A represents the bowl of a centrifugal liquid separator which may be of any
usual or suitable construction. As shown in the drawings, the bowl is provided
with the usual removable cover B, which contains the skim milk escape,pipes b,
and the cream discharge c, and with a feed, cup D having outwardly projecting
discharges pipes, d and a central feed pipe E.
:
F represents the members or blades of the division contrivance which are

page_text: .
arranged in the liquid space of the bowl. These blades, as shown, are curved and
are arranged eccentric around the axis of the bowl, preferably with their concave
sides forwardly in the direction in which the bowl rotates, as indicated by the
arrow in Figure 2. Blades arranged in this manner intersect the radial lines of
the bowl and greatly facilitate the separation of the compound liquid. While we
prefer to employ curved blades I do not wish to limit myself to the same as other
forms of blades which intersect the radial lines may be employed. These blades
may rest directly upon the bottom of the bowl, cutside of the feed cup, as
represented in Figure 1, and have their upper edges cut off obliquely to correspond
with the taper of the cover. The blades are movably attached to each other at
their outer or peripheral edges, by suitable devices, for instance by links g, so as to
form a connected flexible row or series, as indicated in Figure 3. The connection
is broken between two of the blades, as to g¹, so that the system of blades can be
spread out when removed from the bowl, as represented in Figure 3, or can be
rolled up into cylindrical form for insertion in the bowl, as represented in Figure 2.
As the blades are movably connected each blade can be swung away from the
adjoining blade on either side, as indicated in Figure 4, when the system of blades
has been removed from the bowl, so as to give ample room for cleaning each side.
of each blade, which would not be practicable if the blades were rigidly secured in
their operative position, as the space between the adjoining blades is very narrow
when the blades are in their operative position in the bowl.
In order to hold the blades at the proper distance apart when they are in their
operative position in the bowl, each blade is provided on one side with spacing
projections h. These projections may be formed by indenting the blades when the
latter are made of a material which permits of that operation, for instance of tin,
or they may be made separate and secured to the, plates. Under the strains
resulting from centrifugal force the system of blades expands until the blades rest
with their outer edges, or with the links connecting them at their outer edges,
against the inner side of the bowl, whereby the blades are supported against the
strains resulting from centrifugal force. The inner and outer edges of the blades
may be turned, rolled or folded over, as indicated in Figure 4, for strengthening
the edges.
In the construction of my invention represented in Figures 5, 6 and 7, the spiral
blades are movably connected at their inner edges to horizontal rings or hoops I,
for instance by loops j, secured to the outer sides of the rings and engaging in
upright slots formed in the blades, near the inner edges thereof. In this
construction cach blade can be swung on its hinges to one side or the other when
the system of blades is removed from the bowl, thereby affording free access to
each side of each blade for cleaning the same. The flexible connections of the
biades with the rings also permits each blade, when in the bowl, to swing with its
outer edge against the inner side of the bowl under the pressure resulting from
the centrifugal action, thereby supporting each blade against the bowl. The rings
are preferably provided on their inner sides with radial plates i for compelling the
liquid within the system of blades to rotate with the bowl. In this construction
the blades cannot be spread out in a straight row, when the rings are continuous
and rigid, as shown, but if desired, each ring may be cut or divided and made of
flexible material.
In the construction of my improvement represented in Figures 8, 9, 10, 11
and 12, the blades F2 are arranged radially and are movably connected at their
outer edges by links 1, the connecting being broken between two of the blades, as
at . Each radial blade is provided on one side with a laterally projecting flange
or strip m which extends obliquely from the outer lower corner of each blade to
the inner upper corner thereof. These side flanges taper upwardly so that, when
the system of blades is rolled up into cylindrical form, these upwardly tapering
side flanges constitute together a cone which extends obliquely through the liquid
space of the bowl, while the blades themselves stand radially in the liquid space,
partly outside and partly inside of the cone formed by the side flanges. The upper

page_text: edges of the blades are preferably cut off obliquely on their outer sides, as shown,
to correspond with the tapering form of the cover, and their lower edges are cut
away on their inner sides to clear the feed cup and its discharge pipes. The side
flanges serve not only to form a conical wall which extends obliquely through the
liquid space of the bowl from the bottom toward the cream discharge, but also
serve as stops or spacing ribs which hold the blades at the proper distance apart
when arranged in the bowl.
In the constructions represented in Figures 1 to 7 the full milk enters the liquid
space of the bowl at the bottom thereof and outside of the cream wall. The milk
passed into the spaces hetween the vertical spiral blades an ascends between the
blades. During this upward movement the cream is separated from the blue milk
by the centrifugal action, the cream particles passing inwardly to the cream wall
or zoue and the blue milk particles outwardly into the zone adjacent to the inuer
side of the bowl. The separated cream and blue milk are discharged from the
bowl in the usual manner..
In the construction represented in Figures 8 to 12, the full milk enters the
conical spare within the oblique, upwardly tapering side flanges of the blades and
is there subjected to centrifugal action, whereby the cream, is separated from the
blue milk, the cream particles moving inwardly to the cream wall or zone and the
blue milk particles moving outwardly against the inner sides of the side flanges
along which they move downwardly or to the large end of the conical enclosure
formed by these flanges. The blue milk particles pass around the lower edges of
these side flanges into the outer space of the bowl in which they are subjected to a
further separation, the cream particles moving inwardly against the outer sides of
the side flanges and following the latter upwardly, while the blue milk particles
are driven into the outer zone of the liquid and flow along the inner surface of the
bowl, upwardly to the skim milk discharge pipes.
When the blades are connected at their inner edges, their outer edges impinge
snugly against the peripheral wall of the bowl, whereby the bodies of milk in the
spaces between the blades are separated at the peripheral wall and the milk is
prevented from shifting in the bowl circumferentially along the wall of the bowl.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The combination with the bowl of a centrifugal liquid separator, of a division
contrivance arranged within the liquid space of the bowl and consisting of a
circumferential series of upright division blades which are loosely connected with
each other and capable of swinging out and supporting themselves at their outer
edges against the peripheral wall of the bowl, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with the bowl of a centrifugal separator, of an expansible
division contrivance consisting of a series or row of division blades connected with
each other by movable joints, the ends of the series being disconnected from each
other, whereby the series of blades can be arranged in the bowl circumferentially
or in a circular form and can support themselves against the inner side of the
bowl, substantially as set forth.
3. The combination with the bowl of a centrifugal liquid separator, of a division
contrivance arranged within the liquid space of the bowl and consisting of a
circumferential series of upright division plates which are connected at their inner
edges by movable joints and which swing out and bear with their outer edges
against the inner side of the bowl, substantially as set forth.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.