Patent ID: 8728318

Claim:
Settling device ( 2 ) for a fluid containing liquid, gas and particulate material, comprising: a settling chamber ( 3 ) configured to be filled with the fluid; a liquid-discharge ( 5 ) configured to discharge liquid from the settling chamber, the liquid discharge ( 5 ) being arranged so as to be at the liquid level ( 30 ) when in operation; a fluid inlet ( 6 ) configured to supply the fluid into the settling chamber ( 3 ) and arranged at essentially the same level as the liquid-discharge ( 5 ); a particulate material separation device ( 7 ) positioned between the settling chamber ( 3 ) and the liquid discharge ( 5 ); and a sludge outlet ( 8 ) from the settling chamber ( 3 ) wherein the inlet ( 6 ) comprises a gas separation device ( 4 ) arranged to separate gas from the fluid, the gas separation device ( 4 ) comprising a row of oblique plates ( 13 ) extending below the level where fluid is introduced in the gas separation device, the plates ( 13 ) being disposed in overlapping and parallel arrangement with their longitudinal axes at an angle to the horizontal.