Combined pump and self-cleaning centrifugal contamination separator

A combined pump and self-cleaning centrifugal contamination separator for a fluid subject to contamination by the presence therein of undesirable suspended solid particles, comprising:

• a housing having a longitudinal axis and enclosing a cavity which is generally symmetrical about said axis;
• an inlet in said housing communicating with said cavity, said inlet receiving said fluid;
• means, including a stationary cylindrical particle barrier screen fixed in said housing and coaxial with said cavity, dividing said cavity into an inner chamber radially inward of said barrier screen and an outer generally annular chamber radially outward of and encircling said screen, said barrier screen having apertures therethrough and a smooth external surface;
• a first discharge outlet in said housing communicating with said inner chamber;
• a second discharge outlet in said housing communicating with said outer chamber;
• and
• means, including a rotating centrifugal impeller within said cavity, for pumping fluid from the inlet to the outlets, the impeller having thereon a plurality of vanes revolving in said outer chamber for spinning the contaminated fluid around the outer chamber, washing the external surface of the screen to prevent solid contaminants from collecting thereon and adhering thereto, the fluid spinning in the outer chamber turning 90.degree. to pass inward through said barrier screen to said first discharge outlet, contaminant particles being prevented by inertia from turning to pass through the screen with the fluid, whereby contaminant particles substantially smaller than the screen apertures are separated from the fluid and the contaminants are centrifuged radially outward to facilitate separation and removal through said second discharge outlet.