Self-driven, cone-stack type centrifuge

A bypass circuit centrifuge which is constructed and arranged to be assembled within a cover assembly and onto an axial shaft and comprising:

• a centrifuge bowl having a partly closed first end defining a centrally positioned aperture therein and an open second end, said centrifuge bowl being constructed and arranged to rotate about an axis;
• a base plate assembled to said second end of said centrifuge bowl, said base plate including at least one tangential flow nozzle for creating an exit flow jet, said exit flow jet causing the centrifuge bowl to rotate;
• a flow tube extending axially through said base plate and through the aperture in said first end of said centrifuge bowl, said flow tube including a flow passageway;
• a spaced-apart pair of support plates including a first support plate positioned adjacent said aperture and a second support plate which is assembled into said base plate;
• a stacked array of particle separation cones positioned around said flow tube and axially extending between said pair of support plates;
• and
• alignment means for securing together said stacked array with said pair of support plates.

A cone-stack centrifuge for separating particulate matter out of a flowing liquid, said centrifuge being designed and constructed to be assembled onto a center support shaft and being disposed within an outlet cover assembly, said centrifuge comprising:

• a centrifuge bowl;
• a base plate assembled to said centrifuge bowl thereby defining an interior centrifuge space, said base plate including at least one tangential flow nozzle for creating an exit flow jet;
• a hollow centertube designed and constructed to be positioned on said center support shaft and axially extending through said base plate and through said centrifuge howl;
• and
• a replaceable, self-contained, cone-stack subassembly which includes a liner shell and attached to the liner shell a bottom plate, the liner shell and bottom plate defining an interior cone space, the cone-stack subassembly is mounted onto said hollow centertube within said interior centrifuge space, said cone-stack subassembly further including a plurality of separation cones arranged into a stacked array and positioned in said interior cone space, whereby sludge build-up is discarded with said plurality of separation cones when said cone-stack subassembly is replaced.

A cone-stack centrifuge which is constructed and arranged to be assembled onto a center support shaft, said cone-stack centrifuge comprising:

• a centrifuge bowl;
• a base member assembled to said centrifuge bowl and defining therewith a hollow interior;
• a centertube constructed and arranged to be positioned on said center support shaft and extending through said base member into said hollow interior;
• and
• a plurality of centrifuge cones each of which defines a centertube clearance aperture, said plurality of centrifuge cones being arranged into an axially-extending stacked array which is positioned in said hollow interior with said centertube extending through the shaft clearance aperture of each centrifuge cone of said plurality of centrifuge cones, each centrifuge cone of said plurality of centrifuge cones including a circumferentially aligned combination of a protruding V-shaped rib and a recessed V-shaped groove, said V-shaped rib and said V-shaped groove providing an alignment feature for the centrifuge cones of said stacked array by positioning the V-shaped rib of one centrifuge cone into the V-shaped groove of an adjacent centrifuge cone.