Separator system for use in agricultural processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12351489-B2
Application number	US-202117454908-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2021
Priority date	Nov 15, 2021
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

An agricultural processing system includes a process that uses water and produces wastewater having insoluble solids, a pump configured to receive and pressurize the wastewater from the process, and a plurality of centrifugal separators connected in parallel and configured to receive the wastewater from the pump. The separators are each configured to separate out the insoluble solids from the wastewater to produce a cleaned wastewater.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An agricultural processing system, comprising:
an inlet supply for supplying a liquid to be treated, wherein the liquid comprises an aqueous suspension comprising insoluble solids;
the inlet supply is in fluid communication with a process that uses water and produces wastewater comprising the insoluble solids, wherein the process is a chiller, a scalder, or a food washing process;
a pump configured to receive and pressurize the wastewater from the process;
a plurality of centrifugal separators connected in parallel and configured to receive the wastewater from the pump; and
one or more sensors in communication with a control panel, the control panel comprising a display configured to display data from the one or more sensors;
wherein the separators are each configured to separate out at least a portion of the insoluble solids from the wastewater to produce a cleaned wastewater; and
wherein the cleaned wastewater is recycled into the process.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the insoluble solids comprise animal feed, dirt, litter, fecal matter, viscera, entrails, skin, fats, and/or digesta.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a flow rate sensor, or a combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a sample port positioned between the pump and the separators, the sample port configured to receive and analyze a sample of the wastewater.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the sample port is configured to measure turbidity, pH, solids content, microbial content, or a combination thereof and to transmit measurements to the control panel.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control panel comprises a variable frequency drive configured to control a speed of the pump and wherein the variable frequency drive is controllable via the control panel.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an additive supply configured to introduce an antimicrobial, a pH adjuster, and/or fresh water into the cleaned wastewater.

Assignees

• Safe Foods Corp

Inventors

• Huff Steve
• Coleman Todd
• Dawson Douglas M
• Nguyen Anthony

Classifications

• C02F1/385

  by centrifuging suspensions (centrifuges B04B) · CPC title

• C02F2303/24

  Separation of coarse particles, e.g. by using sieves or screens · CPC title

• C02F2209/40

  Liquid flow rate · CPC title

• C02F2209/05

  Conductivity or salinity · CPC title

• C02F2209/02

  Temperature · CPC title