Patent ID: 8337378

Claim:
A continuous self-cleaning centrifuge assembly, having: a feed inlet to the centrifuge for unclarified liquid; an outlet line for clarified liquid to flow out of the centrifuge; means for discharging solids out of a solids holding space in the centrifuge a detection line having an opening, the detection line being separate from the outlet line for clarified liquid and leading from the solids holding space to the feed inlet thereby creating a continuously open loop configured to bleed a small proportion of unclarified liquid from the solids holding space to the feed inlet; a first sensor in the outlet line for the clarified liquid; a second sensor in the detection line for the unclarified liquid; wherein the first sensor monitors the turbidity of the clarified liquid in the outlet line and including means for controlling the flow rate of the unclarified liquid into the centrifuge in response to said turbidity; and, wherein the unclarified liquid bleeds into the detection line and the second sensor measures the turbidity of the bled unclarified liquid, and in response to a comparison of the measured turbidity to a predetermined turbidity parameter, solids are caused to be discharged out of the solids holding space such that the discharging of the solids out of the solids holding space is in response to the measured turbidity that is affected by the degree of build up of solids in the centrifuge.