US 5,853,585 A · Rotary separator apparatus

Abstract

A method and apparatus for efficiently separating solids from liquid/solid slurries are disclosed. The slurry to be separated is retainably placed within a container having one or more lift paddles secured within its inner cavity. The container is supported for rotation about an axis and has drive means for slowly rotating the container. As the container rotates, the lift paddles lift a portion of the retained slurry, allowing the liquid portion to fall back into the primary slurry pool to be separated, and lifting the solids toward the top of the rotation path of the paddles. The separated solids slide by gravity off of the lift paddles as they approach the top of their rotation paths and into a collection hopper and transport means that carry them away from the container. The liquids returned to the primary retained slurry within the container assist in washing the slurry for facilitating solids separation without required increase in the retained slurry volume. Continuous flow-through an multiple chamber separation containers are disclosed.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A separator apparatus for separating solids from a liquid/solid manure slurry, comprising:

(a) a container having a solid outer wall defining an inner cavity suitable for retainably holding a predetermined volume of slurry;
(b) a support connected with said container for rotatably supporting said container for rotation about an axis;
(c) at least one partially porous lift paddle mounted to said container within said inner cavity and rotatable with said container along a closed arcuate path, said lift paddle being arranged and configured to engage and lift solids from the volume of slurry within said inner cavity as said container rotates bout said axis in a first direction;
(d) a collector extending into said inner cavity above the volume of slurry in said cavity, to at least partially underlie said lift paddle as it rotates in said first direction toward an apex of said arcuate path;
and
(e) a drive connected with said container for rotating said container about said axis in said first direction causing a portion of said volume of slurry to be lifted by said lift paddle, wherein solids from said lifted slurry fall by gravity from said lift paddle into said collector means and liquids from said lifted slurry return by gravity to said slurry volume in the inner cavity.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Rotary separator apparatus

Life of this patent

Rotary separator apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims29