Patent ID: 8678204

Claim:
A separator for separating solids from liquid in a liquid/solid mixture, said separator comprising: an upper inlet chamber comprises an inlet through which a solids-laden fluid is introduced into the upper inlet chamber, the upper inlet chamber having an inside wall defining an inside diameter; a separation barrel attached to the upper inlet chamber, the separation barrel having an outside wall defining an outside diameter, a central axis, an upper end, a lower end, a bottom, an interior wall which is an axially-extending cylindrical surface of rotation, a portion of the upper end extending into the upper inlet chamber, said portion comprising inlet means extending through said interior wall of the separation barrel to inject the mixture into said upper end of the separation barrel in a spinning motion to separate solids from the liquid by centrifugal force; a vestibular chamber disposed outside of the inlet means, the vestibular chamber defined by the inside wall of the upper inlet chamber and by the outside wall of the portion of the separation barrel extending into the upper inlet chamber, said vestibular chamber further defined at an upper end by a horizontally disposed top plate, the top plate having a diameter larger than the outside diameter of the separation barrel, but smaller in diameter than the inside diameter of the upper inlet chamber; a spin structure in axial adjacency to said lower end of said separation barrel, the separator further comprising a collection chamber having a top and a sump region below said spin structure for receiving solids-containing material, the separator further comprising conduit means between the spin structure and said sump region through which conduit means passes said solids-containing material; and an outlet barrel centrally aligned within said separation barrel, the outlet barrel axially above the spin structure to receive fluid reflected by said spin structure.