Patent ID: 7014756

Claim:
An apparatus for separating a mixture of a less dense fluid, a more dense fluid, and fines, the less and more dense fluids being immiscible with each other, the apparatus comprising: a housing having an inlet at an upstream end thereof and an outlet at a downstream end thereof; a separation chamber located within the housing between the inlet and the outlet, the separation chamber comprising: a generally horizontal enclosure; and, a screw defining a helical passage through the enclosure, the separation chamber having at least one upper aperture located in an upper portion of the helical passage and at least one lower aperture located in a lower portion of the helical passage; and, a baffle attached between the housing and the separation chamber for directing at least a portion of the mixture into the separation chamber, whereby as the mixture is directed through the helical passage at least a portion of the less dense fluid passes through the at least one upper aperture into an upper collection zone in the housing, and at least a portion of the fines passes through the at least one lower aperture into a lower collection zone in the housing.