Patent ID: 7241387

Claim:
A solids separator including: an elongate tubular housing rotatable around a central axis; a fluid inlet at one end of said housing adapted to receive a flow of a fluid including entrained solids; a first and a second outlet at the opposing end of said housing, wherein, said rotatable housing is effective in imparting a radially outward force to the entrained solids flowing through the separator whereby the solids are concentrated at the peripheral portion of the cross-section of the flow at the first and second outlets and wherein the first outlet is adapted to receive the inner portion of the cross-section of the flow and the second outlet is adapted to receive the peripheral portion of the cross-section of the flow containing the concentrated solids, and wherein the solids separator includes a swirl inducing means located prior to the rotatable housing, wherein said swirl inducing means aids in imparting the radially outward force to the entrained solids.