Centrifuge basket having internal ribs for agitating slurry received in the basket

A centrifuge basket which comprises:

• a frustum-shaped hollow body defining an interior and a pair of opposed ends, being a larger end and a smaller end, the larger end being open to allow the interior to receive a slurry directed toward the smaller end, the body defining an internal screening surface extending between the ends, the screening surface defining a plurality of apertures spaced between the ends and arranged to drain liquid from within the body, each aperture comprising an elongate slot arranged to extend transversely, to define a positive angle relative to, a generatrix line that forms a shape of the screening surface;
• and
• a plurality of ribs projecting away from the screening surface into the interior of the body to cause agitating slurry received into the interior of the body, the ribs being arranged in a plurality of annular arrays, the arrays being spaced axially along the screening surface to define a respective plurality of wear zones spaced axially along the basket, wherein the ribs of at least two of the arrays are arranged to extend transversely, at a defined included negative angle, relative to the generatrix line, wherein the included negative angles of the ribs in the at least two arrays progressively increases as the arrays are spaced axially from the smaller end such that the included angle of the ribs in each array affects a residency period for temporarily retaining slurry in the wear zone defined by the array,
• the body being mountable to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis such that slurry received into the interior of the body and towards the smaller end impacts the ribs, where the angled arrangement of the ribs cause the slurry to move towards the larger end and across the screening surface to drain liquid from the slurry through the apertures,
• wherein the slots and the ribs extend transversely to the generatrix line at an orientation defined relative to a direction of rotation of the body, wherein the slots are arranged in a first orientation, at the positive angle, to enhance gliding of the slurry along the slots, and the ribs are arranged in a second, opposed orientation, at the negative angle, to cause the slurry to impact the ribs.