Patent ID: 8691089

Claim:
A separation system comprising: (a) a separation vessel comprising (i) a fluid inlet, (ii) a solids outlet comprising an overflow conduit having a height h w measured from a base portion of the separation vessel, (iii) a fluid outlet at a first position between the base portion and h w , and (iv) a means for measuring an instantaneous height h(t) of the combined separation vessel contents, the measurement means being mounted on the separation vessel at a second position between the base portion and h w ; (b) a means for adjusting a flowrate Q o of fluid out of the separation vessel through the fluid outlet, the adjusting means being in fluid communication with the fluid outlet; and, (c) an electronic controller comprising (i) an input in electrical communication with the measuring means for periodically measuring the measuring means to receive the instantaneous height h(t), (ii) a non-transitory storage medium storing an operating height h 0 which is larger than h w and (iii) an output in electrical communication with the adjusting means for adjusting the flowrate Q o to minimize an error function h(t)−h 0 .