Decanting three phase centrifuge

A fluid optimization system, comprising:

• a slurry delivery system delivering a slurry including solids phase, a heavy fluid phase, and a light fluid phase;
• a decanting three-phase centrifuge receiving the slurry from the slurry delivery system, the decanting three-phase centrifuge further comprising:
• a rotatable bowl defining a paring pump chamber;
• a radially adjustable paring disc disposed within the paring pump chamber of the rotating bowl to provide a cut point between a heavy fluid phase and a light fluid phase of a slurry and thereby separate the light fluid phase from the heavy fluid phase;
• an actuator disposed outside the rotatable bowl to radially adjust the position of the paring disc;
• at least one sensor to sense a fluid parameter of a first one of the separated heavy fluid phase and the separated light fluid phase and output a fluid parameter signal representative of the sensed fluid parameter;
• a control unit programmed to, on the fly:
• receive the fluid parameter signal from the at least one sensor;
• determine from the received fluid parameter signal whether the cut point is to be adjusted;
• and
• if the cut point is to be adjusted, automatically drive the actuator to radially adjust the paring disc and thereby reset the cut point on the fly while the centrifuge is operating;
• a separated phases collection system to collect the separated phases from the decanting three-phase centrifuge;
• and
• a flow control system to control the flow of fluids through the fluid optimization system, including from the slurry delivery system to the decanting three-phase centrifuge and from the decanting three-phase centrifuge to the separated phases collection system.

A method of separating a solid phase, a heavy fluid phase, and a light fluid phase from a slurry in a decanting three-phase centrifuge, the method comprising:

• removing the solid phase from a slurry in the decanting three-phase centrifuge;
• separating the light fluid phase from the heavy fluid phase in the decanting three-phase centrifuge at a cut point;
• monitoring at least one of the separated heavy fluid phase and the separated light fluid phase, including transmitting a fluid parameter signal representative of a sensed fluid parameter of at least a first one of the separated heavy fluid phase and the separated light fluid phase;
• receiving the fluid parameter signal from the at least one sensor;
• determining from the received fluid parameter signal whether the cut point is to be adjusted;
• and
• if the cut point is to be adjusted, automatically radially adjusting the position of the paring disc in the decanting three-phase centrifuge and thereby reset the cut point on the fly while the decanting three-phase centrifuge is operating.