Patent ID: 7255670

Claim:
A three phase centrifuge having a bowl, the centrifuge comprising: a. means to remove solids from a slurry to develop a fluid having a heavy phase liquid and a light phase liquid; b. a fluid phase separator having a remotely controlled actuator to control the separation of light phase liquid from heavy phase liquid; and c. control means to sense the light phase content and the heavy phase content to control the relative content of the two phases; d. a pond inside the bowl defined by a conical section and a cylindrical section of a centrifuge bowl and wherein the heavy phase liquid and the light phase liquid as separated into layers in the pond, the heavy phase liquid and the light phase liquid together comprising a depth of the pond; e. a heavy phase liquid reservoir; f. a plurality of ports from the pond into the heavy phase liquid reservoir; g. a hollow skimmer tube extending into the heavy phase liquid reservoir to draw heavy phase liquid from the reservoir, wherein the skimmer tube comprises a pair of simultaneously actuatable skimmer tubes; and h. a rack and pinion arrangement coupling the pair of skimmer tubes to the remotely controlled actuator.