Separator for separating a flowable suspension into two flowable phases of different density

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12303918-B2
Application number	US-201917432597-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2019
Priority date	Feb 26, 2019
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

A separator includes a housing that is stationary during operation and designed as a tank having at least two openings. A drum located inside the housing can be rotated about an axis of rotation, the drum having an axis of rotation and at least one opening. A gap is formed at least in sections or continuously between the drum and the housing. The separator also includes a support and drive device having at least two support and/or drive units, which keep the drum suspended inside the housing, supported, and/or set in rotation. One of the support and/or drive units is a first magnetic bearing that at least axially supports the drum and to keep it suspended. At least one other of the support and/or drive units is axially supports the drum.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A separator for separating a flowable suspension in a centrifugal field into at least two flowable phases of different density, the separator comprising:
a) a housing, which is stationary in operation and is a container having at least two openings;
b) a drum arranged within the housing, having an axis of rotation, being rotatable about the axis of rotation, and having at least one opening;
c) a gap formed at least in sections or continuously between the drum and the housing;
d) a support and drive device comprising at least two support or drive units, which suspend, support, or rotate the drum within the housing;
e) wherein a first one of the at least two support or drive units comprises a magnetic bearing, which axially supports and levitates the drum,
f) wherein at least one further of the at least two support or drive units axially supports the drum,
wherein the at least two support or drive units are arranged axially offset from one another in a direction of the axis of rotation, and in a first vertical alignment of the axis of rotation a lower or an upper one of the at least two support or drive units supports the drum axially and keeps the drum suspended,
wherein a first one of the at least two support or drive units is a first combined bearing device which, in addition to an axial bearing, also effects a radial bearing of the drum,
wherein a second or further of the at least two support or drive units is a second combined bearing device which, in addition to an axial bearing, also effects a radial bearing of the drum, and
wherein the first or second combined bearing devices has a bearing acting obliquely to the axis of rotation.

2. The separator of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the at least two support or drive units is/are configured to set the drum in rotation within the housing.

3. The separator of claim 1 , wherein one or both of the at least two support or drive units has/have a radial bearing and an axial bearing.

4. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the second combined bearing device is arranged above the magnetic bearing in the first vertical alignment of the axis of rotation.

5. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the separator is configured as a clarifying device with which a suspension of solids are clarified, wherein only the clarified suspension is dischargeable from the drum.

6. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the separator is configured as a separating device with which a suspension is separated into two phases, wherein both of the two phases are dischargeable from the drum.

7. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the housing has at least two openings, one of the at least two openings is configured for a feed of a suspension to be processed in the centrifugal field and another of the at least two openings is configured to discharge a phase of the suspension processed in the centrifugal field.

8. The separator of claim 7 , wherein the drum comprises at least one inlet and only one outlet or a plurality of outlets.

9. The separator of claim 8 , wherein the inlet is an inlet pipe which, in a first vertical alignment of the axis of rotation, extends vertically from above through one of the at least two openings of the housing into the drum.

10. The separator of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the outlets from the drum comprises solids outlet nozzles in a shell of the drum.

11. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the housing has at least three openings.

12. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises at least one functional opening for connecting a vacuum generating device.

13. The separator of claim 1 , wherein in a first vertical alignment of the axis of rotation on the drum, a first liquid outlet is formed in an upper axial region of the drum and a second liquid outlet is formed in a lower axial region of the drum.

14. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the first or second combined bearing device, has at least one or more permanently or electromagnetically acting bearings.

15. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the first or second combined bearing device has at least one or more bearings acting in the manner of plain bearings.

16. The separator of claim 15 , wherein the plain bearing is formed by a mandrel-like inlet pipe, which is supported with a centering tip in a corresponding recess in a distributor base.

17. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the housing has exclusively two or three openings and is otherwise hermetically closed.

18. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the drum has one or more solids outlet nozzles.

19. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the gap is an air gap.

20. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the drum and the housing are configured as a disposable separator, which can be disposed of after a single use, wherein the at least two support or drive units are configured to be removably reusable from the outside of the housing.

21. A separator for separating a flowable suspension in a centrifugal field into at least two flowable phases of different density, the separator comprising:
a) a housing, which is stationary in operation and is a container having at least two openings;
b) a drum arranged within the housing, having an axis of rotation, being rotatable about the axis of rotation, and having at least one opening;
c) a gap formed at least in sections or continuously between the drum and the housing;
d) a support and drive device comprising at least two support or drive units, which suspend, support, or rotate the drum within the housing;
e) wherein a first one of the at least two support or drive units comprises a magnetic bearing, which axially supports and levitates the drum,
f) wherein at least one further of the at least two support or drive units axially supports the drum, and
wherein the housing has two outlets that are radially aligned, wherein both of the two outlets are formed at the upper axial region of the drum at a first vertical alignment of the axis of rotation.

22. The separator of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the two outlets is assigned a device for adjusting the separation zone within the drum.

23. The separator of claim 21 , wherein one or more seals are arranged between the drum and the housing in a region of one or more of the two outlets or one or more of annular spaces.

Assignees

• Gea Mechanical Equipment Gmbh

Inventors

• Göhmann Rüdiger

Classifications

• B04B15/08

  for ventilating or producing a vacuum in the centrifuge · CPC title

• B04B1/12

  with continuous discharge · CPC title

• B04B11/02

  Continuous feeding or discharging; Control arrangements therefor · CPC title

• B04B9/12 Primary

  Suspending rotary bowls {; Bearings; Packings for bearings} · CPC title

• B04B7/02

  Casings; Lids (shock absorbers, vibration dampers F16F) · CPC title