Improvements in al soparas
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May, 1899-Accepted, 8th July, 1899
Improvements in al soparas
I, HERMANN RECK, of 1, Holborn Circus, London, Merchant, 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 construction of apparatus for the separation of a
mixture of two or more liquids of different specific gravities by the action of
centrifugal force in a revolving bowl, and is applicable more especially to the
separation of cream from "whole milk."
Several machines of this type are in use, and work more or less successfully,
the more effective of them depending upon the insertion of some partitions or
other attachment in the bowl for splitting up the milk and causing it to revolve
at the same or nearly the same speed as the bowl itself. Besides the efficiency
of the separation however, other conditions such as ease in taking apart the various
portions for cleaning purposes, strength, and cost of manufacture, have to be
considered, and the object of my invention is to separate the cream more quickly
than hitherto without loss of efficiency and at the same time to construct an
apparatus which is simple, easily disconnected for cleaning purposes, and of a
suitable design to withstand the large forces brought into play when revolving
at the high speed which is necessary.
My invention consists in employing along with a revolving bowl a series of
discs made of interspaced wire netting placed one above the other, close together,
and inserted in the bowl so as to leave a small space between them and the
periphery of the bowl.
"
These discs are made of wires interwoven one within the other, but with spaces
between each wire, and constructed with an inner and an outer ring forming a
framework to which the netting is attached; the inner ring forms the edge of a
hole in the centre of the disc, and in conjunction with the outer one they act as
distance pieces which keep the network portion of the discs slightly apart from
each other, and form spaces along which the cream can travel towards the centre
is
of the bowl and the skim milk towards the periphery. The "whole milk
delivered nearly to the periphery of the bowl by means of tubes placed beneath
the discs and connected to the hollow central spindle of the bowl which forms
the inlet for the "whole milk." As the centrifugal force is strongest at the
periphery of the bowl much of the separation is effected in the narrow space
left between the latter and the pile of discs, and some undoubtedly occurs imme-
diately on leaving the inlet tubes.
The pile of dises may either partially or completely fill the outer zone of the
bowl, and it is found that a small circular ring partially covering the bottom
network disc and provided with holes at intervals will assist the separation
somewhat.
The cream returns through the dises to the centre, and along with this cream
passes also a certain quantity of milk carrying the final globules of the cream
which are the most difficult to separate. The action of the wire dises upon this
body of fluid is found to add considerably to the separative efficiency of the

page_text: apparatus; the particles of cream when once detached from the milk particles are
displaced by other heavier milk particles surrounding them and thus travel
towards the centre of the bowl where the bulk of the cream is accumulating.
I may arrange the discs either with a flat network of wire or with the wire
network having a radially corrugated or undulating surface, and in the latter
case the adjoining discs may be set either with their ridges corresponding or
with the ridge of one disc super-posed over the recess of a lower disc. The friction
between these wire discs and the liquid within them causes the latter to revolve
at the same or nearly the same speed as the bowl and thus the full force of the
rotation is utilized.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention in a practical
form:-
Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a centrifugal drum.
Fig. 2 is a plan of one of the network discs.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the network disc to an enlarged scale.
Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modification of the network disc showing the
corrugations.
Referring first to Fig. 1 the drum a which is provided with a lid is arranged
to rotate within a casing c carried by the base d; his the carrier which holds
the pile of discs g in place when revolving. It is formed of a hollow cylinder
which when slipped over the central section of the bowl forms a passage for the
"whole milk" entering from the reservoir i, and it is provided at its base with
the outlet tubes k for delivering the milk into the bowl.
Outlets are provided for the skim milk along the tubes e e and for the cream
at through the screw shewn, this latter being adjustable to allow of the thickness
of the cream being varied. The method of carrying and revolving the bowl and
other details are shown clearly but as they constitute no part of this invention
they need not be further described.
Referring to Figs. 2, 3, and 4, 7 is the network of wire securely attached to
the two rings m and n; 1, (Fig. 4) shows the wire network with the radial corruga-
tions. A pile of these discs is held together by the arms o of the carrier hand
the whole pile may be taken out of the bowl together with the carrier, and then
disconnected for the purpose of cleaning or replacing them.
The "whole milk" is fed through the reservoir down the hollow central shaft
and enters the bowl through the tubes as shown by the arrows, when it imme-
diately flies to the periphery if the bowl is empty, and gradually proceeds to fill
the bowl; the free surface of the liquid approaching the centre is a vertical and
approximately straight line if the drum is revolving at its full speed. When
the vertical line of liquid approaches as near to the centre as the outlets e and f
skim milk and cream will immediately be ejected from these.
+6
When the bowl is revolving under normal conditions it will be filled to the
vertical level of the outlets when the whole milk" enters atk and separation
will begin almost immediately, the skim milk going to the periphery. The bulk
of the separation is effected close to the periphery of the bowl and the displaced
cream enters the discs, circulating through and between them along with a certain
amount of partially separated milk. The discs complete the separation of the
partially separated milk and cause it to be divided up into its constituent parts,
the cream accumulating towards the centre by reason of the centrifugal action
and the skim milk going to the periphery and away down the conducting pipes ee.
The separated cream passes from the cream column at the point f and so to its
delivery p.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my sail
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a centrifugal milk separator the combination with the drum, of an inser- 5
tion or carrier h provided with outlet tubes / which introduce the " „phala will.

page_text: towards the periphery of the drum, and a series of network discs arranged close
together one above another, substantially as described and set forth.
2. In a centrifugal separator the use in combination with a bowl, of a series
of dises composed of an interspaced network of wires mounted on rings and
arranged close together one above another, substantially as described.
3. In a centrifugal separator the use in combination with the drum, of a series
of discs composed of an interspaced network of wires mounted on rings, having
radial corrugations, elevations, or depressions, and arranged one above another
so that either the elevations underlie one another or an elevation underlies a
depression substantially as described.
Dated this 24th day of May 1899.
SYDNEY E. PAGE, A.M.I.C.E.,
18, New Bridge Street, London, Agent for the Applicant.