Centrifuges and related methods of use to dewater mature (fluid) fine tailings

A decanter centrifuge comprising:

• a bowl forming a sedimentation chamber with a cake discharge and a centrate discharge;
• a screw conveyor within the sedimentation chamber, the screw conveyor having a conveyor body and a flight, the conveyor body defining a feed chamber and forming an enclosed shell with radial ports between the feed chamber to the sedimentation chamber;
• and
• an accelerator within the feed chamber for increasing the angular velocity of a feed mixture prior to entering the sedimentation chamber via the radial ports, the accelerator comprising an impeller with plural vanes, the plural vanes being releasably mounted to the conveyor body and sized to pass through an axial end of the conveyor body;
• in which:
• the plural vanes are formed on a disc part that has a maximum outer diameter smaller than a minimum inner diameter of the axial end of the conveyor body, in which the conveyor body defines a bearing unit mount at the axial end for removably receiving a bearing unit;
• and
• the disc part is mounted to or forms an accelerator base of the accelerator.