Water clarification method and apparatus

An apparatus for clarifying a contaminated fluid comprising:

• (a) a cylindrical separator vessel having provided therein a vertical cyclonic flow chamber means, said cyclonic flow chamber means including
• (i) a first vertical cylindrical shell closed at the top and having a lower truncated portion having an outlet at the bottom thereof;
• and,
• (ii) a second cylindrical shell concentrically positioned within said first shell, thereby providing an annular space therebetween, and being open at the bottom and having an outlet port at the top which passes through said first shell;
• (b) means for tangentially introducing said contaminated fluid to be separated into said annular space between said first and second shells so as to establish a swirling body of fluid therein;
• (c) a third cylindrical shell annularly surrounding a lower portion of said first shell and extending below the outlet of said first shell, the upper portion of said third shell being positioned below said tangential introducing means;
• (d) means for discharging a first separated fluid of said contaminated fluid into a first fluid flow zone in said separator vessel, said means for discharging comprising the upper portion of said third cylindrical shell and the lower portion of said first cylindrical shell, said first fluid flow zone being formed by the outer wall of said first shell and said separator vessel;
• and,
• (e) means for discharging a second separated fluid from said outlet port at the upper portion of said second shell to a second fluid flow zone located in the upper portion of said vessel.