Method for determining the torque of a worm of a decanter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9457358-B2
Application number	US-201013321839-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2010
Priority date	May 30, 2009
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

A method for determining the torque of a worm of a solid bowl worm centrifuge. The solid bowl worm centrifuge includes a rotatable drum and a rotatable worm, the rotatable worm being rotatable at a different rotational speed than that of the rotatable drum. The rotatable drum and rotatable worm are driven via a gear arrangement and a common single drive motor via at least one belt drive, a driving belt pulley, a driven belt pulley and a belt coupling the pulley. The method steps include determining a slip of the at least once belt drive and calculating a torque based upon the determination of the slip.

First claim

I claim:

1. A method for determining a torque of a worm of a solid bowl centrifuge, the solid bowl worm centrifuge including a rotatable drum and a rotatable worm, the rotatable worm being rotatable at a different rotational speed than that of the rotatable drum, the rotatable drum and rotatable worm being driven via a gear arrangement and a common single drive motor via at least one belt drive, a driving belt pulley, a driven belt pulley and a belt coupling the pulley, the method steps comprising:
determining a slip Ψ of the at least one belt drive; and
calculating the torque of the worm based upon the determination of the slip;
wherein the slip Ψ determined according to the following formula:

Ψ
=

1
-

n
2

·

d

w
⁢

⁢
2

n
1

·

d

w
⁢

⁢
1

=

1
-

n
2

n
1

·

i
12

in which
n 1 =(measured) rotational speed of the driving belt pulley
n 2 =(measured) rotational speed of the driven belt pulley
d w1 =active diameter of the driving belt pulley
d w2 =active diameter of the driven belt pulley
i 12 =actual step-up,
n 1 , n 2 , d w1 , d w2 and i 12 being determined by measurement, and the torque T being determined from this slip as follows:
T=constant·Ψ;

further comprising a step of determining the actual step-up, wherein the centrifuge is first operated for a short time without any product, and the rotational speeds n 1 and n 2 are measured and averaged, wherein the step of determining the actual step-up is taken into account in the calculation of the torque;
further comprising a step of using the calculation of the torque for manual control and electronic control and overload cutoff of the solid bowl worm centrifuge;
and further comprising a step of using the calculation of the torque for indicating different stages of the torque including stages indicating respective percentages of the torque and including a stage that is an overload.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the actual step-up is repeated at intervals.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a step of taking into account an idling torque or the torque present when an actual step-up is determined when determining the torque.

Assignees

• Overberg Martin
• Gea Mechanical Equipment Gmbh

Inventors

• Overberg Martin

Classifications

• F16H61/66272

  characterised by means for controlling the torque transmitting capability of the gearing · CPC title

• G01L5/26

  for determining the characteristic of torque in relation to revolutions per unit of time · CPC title

• F16H2059/465

  Detecting slip, e.g. clutch slip ratio · CPC title

• B04B1/2016 Primary

  Driving control or mechanisms; Arrangement of transmission gearing · CPC title

• G01L3/00

  Measuring torque, work, mechanical power, or mechanical efficiency, in general · CPC title