阅读说明：本技术 用于三相分离的集成式倾析器和离心机分离器 (Integrated decanter and centrifuge separator for three-phase separation ) 是由 A·马萨森 O·英格尔夫森 S·英格尔夫森 于 2020-03-20 设计创作，主要内容包括：用于分离浆液中的固体成分、重质和轻质液体成分的设备,包括：倾析器部段,该部段包括由倾析器壳体包围的螺旋输送机；以及由碟式离心机组成的离心机部段。离心机部段被离心机壳包围,倾析器部段和离心机部段由相交部分离,该相交部包括固定叶轮,用于将液体从倾析器部段传送到离心机部段。螺旋输送机、倾析器壳和离心机壳可围绕中央轴线旋转。倾析器部段包括轴向布置进口和固体物料出口,而离心机部段包括轴向中央第一液体出口,用于较轻液体,以及第二液体出口,用于较重液体。第二液体出口可以布置在离心机壳的端板上,第二出口离中央轴线的径向距离可调节。(An apparatus for separating solid components, heavy and light liquid components in a slurry comprising: a decanter section comprising a screw conveyor surrounded by a decanter housing; and a centrifuge section consisting of a disk centrifuge. The centrifuge section is surrounded by a centrifuge housing, the decanter section and the centrifuge section being separated by an intersection comprising a stationary impeller for transferring liquid from the decanter section to the centrifuge section. The screw conveyor, decanter housing, and centrifuge housing are rotatable about a central axis. The decanter section comprises an axially arranged inlet and a solid material outlet, while the centrifuge section comprises an axially central first liquid outlet for lighter liquids and a second liquid outlet for heavier liquids. The second liquid outlet may be arranged in an end plate of the centrifuge housing, the radial distance of the second outlet from the central axis being adjustable.)

1. A separation apparatus for separating solid, heavy liquid and light liquid components of a slurry of organic or other material, the apparatus comprising: a decanter section (1100) comprising a screw conveyor (1109) surrounded by decanter shells (1101, 1102); and a centrifuge section (1200) comprising a disk centrifuge comprising a plurality of centrifuge disks (1205), the centrifuge section being surrounded by a centrifuge casing (1201); the decanter section and centrifuge section are separated by an intersection comprising at least one stationary impeller (1202) for conveying liquid from the decanter section to the centrifuge section; the screw conveyor, decanter housing, and centrifuge housing are rotatable about a central axis; the decanter section comprises at least one axially arranged inlet (1103) and a solid material outlet (1110); the centrifuge section comprises an axially central first liquid outlet (1208) for lighter liquid, and a plurality of second liquid outlets (1212) for heavier liquid.

2. A separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second liquid outlet (1212) is arranged on an end plate (1207) of the centrifuge housing (1201) opposite the decanter section, wherein the radial distance of the second outlet from the central axis is adjustable.

3. A separating apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the radial distance of the second outlet (1212) from the central axis is adjustable by means of a motorized drive and is adjustable during operation of the separating apparatus.

4. A separation apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the radial distance of the second outlet (1212) from the central axis is adjustable by means of a motorized drive and during operation of the separation apparatus is adjusted by means of a PLC or other control unit in response to the composition of at least one liquid phase to optimize performance and in response to changes in material composition.

5. A separating apparatus according to any of the claims 2-4, characterized in that the second outlet aperture (1212) is arranged on a plate (1214) slidably arranged in radially arranged slide guides (1215), the outlet aperture being aligned with a radial slit (1216) on an end plate (1207).

6. A separating device according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that the radial distance of the second outlet aperture (1212) can be changed from outside the centrifugal disk housing with a manual or motor driven adjusting screw.

7. A separation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the decanter section has a cylindrical distal section and a conical proximal section relative to the material inlet, and the decanter shell has a corresponding conical shell section (1101) and cylindrical shell section (1102).

8. A separating apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the solid matter outlet (1110) comprises a plurality of openings in the conical shell section at its narrow end.

9. A separation apparatus according to any of claims 1-8, characterized in that the axially arranged inlet is arranged to feed material through a fixed inlet pipe (1103) located inside a hollow core (1114) of the screw conveyor, the inlet pipe (1103) having an outlet opening (1107) allowing material to leave the inlet pipe and enter the hollow core coaxially surrounding the inlet pipe, the hollow core having an outlet opening (1108) allowing material to enter the main chamber of the decanter shell.

10. A separating apparatus according to any of claims 1-9, characterized in that the decanter shell and centrifuge shell are fixedly engaged with a separating plate (1111) fixedly arranged between the shells, which is configured to allow liquid feed to be transferred from the decanter shell to the stationary impeller (1202).

11. A separating apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a distribution dish (1204) configured to receive liquid from the stationary impeller (1202) and distribute it to the centrifuge dish (1205).

12. The separation apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the decanter housing and the dish separator housing are jointly rotatable, and the screw conveyor is independently rotatable.

13. A separation apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the centrifuge housing (1201) has a conical shape with a wider diameter end adjoining the decanter housing and a narrower diameter end at the liquid outlet end.

14. A separating apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that there are a number of peripheral holes or channels through the separating plate (1111) and the attachment plate (1203) holding the distribution dish (1204) to allow solid residues to pass back to the decanter shell.

15. A separating apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the fixed inlet pipe (1103) is supported at its distal end by a stacking rack (1115) or other locating support.

16. Separating device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the rotational bearing shaft (1208) of the centrifuge section is supported by a bearing (1209), which is held by a support structure.

17. A separation device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the decanter and centrifuge shells are rotated by a belt drive.

18. A separating apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the decanter housing and centrifuge housing are rotated by a direct main drive.

19. A method of separating a solid phase and a liquid phase from a slurry comprising feeding the slurry to an apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17 and separating into a solid phase, a lighter liquid phase and a heavier liquid phase.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising adjusting the radial distance of the outlet holes for the heavier liquid phase to achieve optimum separation in accordance with the difference in specific gravity of the two liquid phases to be separated.

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein the slurry comprises organic waste.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a device for the three-phase separation of organic and other materials by means of a combined centrifuge and decanter in one apparatus.

Background

The present invention is an apparatus that facilitates the separation of solids from aqueous solutions derived from slurries, such as but not limited to processed organic waste. It is well known in the art to centrifuge mixtures of materials having components of different specific gravities, such as mixtures of oil and or fat with water, or such mixtures additionally containing solids. The separation of two liquid phases of different specific gravity is usually effected in a disk centrifuge, while at the same time a mixture of three components, one of which is solid matter, can in principle be effected in a disk centrifuge in the case of low solid matter content, while in a decanter centrifuge this mixture can usually be separated into a liquid phase and a solid phase.

In decanter centrifuges, centrifugal force pushes the solid material to the inner periphery of the decanter shell, which is conveyed by a screw conveyor to an outlet opening, typically the periphery of an inlet pipe at the conical end of the decanter shell. The liquid phase is usually discharged from the other end. However, where isolation of the pure phases is required, such separate instruments often do not achieve satisfactory separation and must often be operated sequentially. In such processes, energy requirements and instrument pressures are significant, particularly in the case of disk centrifuges where solid materials must be discharged frequently. Furthermore, in order to achieve optimum performance of centrifugal decanters and disk centrifuges, they must be adjusted according to the characteristics of the material to be separated. This is a process that cannot be completed during operation, requiring the operation to be stopped and the instrument to be disassembled in order to be able to respond to changes in the material properties of the mixture to be separated.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention consists of combining the function of a screw-transport decanter and the function of a disk centrifuge in one apparatus. These functional components form the decanter section and the centrifuge section, each within a joined but separately defined shell. Wherein the decanter housing encloses a screw conveyor and a centrifuge disc housing, an impeller, a distribution disc, a stack of centrifuge discs and an end disc, the housing and screw conveyor being independently rotatable, the impeller being stationary and the centrifuge discs rotating with the housing. The decanter section further comprises at least one inlet, preferably stationary and axially arranged inside the hollow screw conveyor shaft. The inlet feeds the material into the decanter housing through an opening in the inlet conduit and then through an opening in the shaft of the hollow screw conveyor. The solid matter outlet is disposed at the narrow proximal end of the decanter shell (proximal relative to the inlet).

At least one stationary impeller is arranged between the decanter and the dish centrifuge housing, which conveys the liquid through and towards a distribution dish, which distributes the liquid onto the centrifuge dish. The centrifuge disc section includes a heavy liquid phase outlet and a light liquid phase outlet. It is generally preferred that the centrifuge disk shell have a conical shape with a wider diameter end adjacent the decanter shell and a narrower diameter end at the liquid outlet end.

Accordingly, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a separation apparatus for separating a slurry into a solid component and a liquid component and further separating the liquid into a heavy density and a light density liquid component. The apparatus is suitable for use with various organic slurries, such as but not limited to the treatment of organic waste, the production of fish meal or other animal or vegetable products.

The centrifuge section comprises a plurality of centrifuge discs and is surrounded by a centrifuge disc housing. The decanter section and the centrifuge section are separated by an intersection comprising at least the above-mentioned fixed impeller for transferring liquid from the decanter section to the centrifuge section. The screw conveyor, the decanter housing, and the centrifuge housing are rotatable about a central axis, wherein the decanter housing and centrifuge housing are fixedly joined together and rotate with the centrifuge disk. The decanter section comprises at least one axially arranged inlet and a solid material outlet, while the centrifuge section further comprises an axially central first liquid outlet for lighter liquids and a second liquid outlet for heavier liquids.

In an advantageous embodiment, said second liquid outlet is arranged on an end plate of the centrifuge casing opposite the decanter section and is configured such that the radial distance of the second liquid outlet from the central axis can be adjusted, such as by, but not limited to, the exemplary configuration described below. In one embodiment, the second outlet holes are arranged in plates slidably arranged in radially arranged slide guides, the plates being aligned with radial slits in the end plate such that when the plates are moved (radially adjusted), the holes move along the slits. Thus, the holes are still open for the liquid to flow out, but their position is adjusted in the radial direction.

In one embodiment, the radial distance of the second outlet from the central axis is adjustable by means of a motorized drive, and thus during operation of the separation apparatus, such as via a PLC computer interacting with the motorized drive.

In some embodiments, the screw conveyor has a cylindrical section and a conical proximal section (near the axially disposed inlet), while the decanter shell has corresponding conical and cylindrical shell sections.

The solid material outlet preferably comprises a plurality of openings on or near the conical narrow end of the conical shell section.

In some embodiments, the axially disposed inlet is arranged to feed material through a fixed inlet pipe located within the hollow core of the screw conveyor, the inlet pipe having an outlet aperture allowing material to exit the inlet pipe and enter the hollow core coaxially surrounding the inlet pipe, the hollow core having an outlet aperture allowing material to enter the main chamber of the decanter shell.

In some embodiments, the decanter house and the centrifuge house are fixedly joined with a separation plate fixedly arranged between the shells, the separation plate being configured to allow the liquid supply to be transferred from the decanter shell to the stationary impeller, said centrifuge section further preferably comprising a distribution dish configured to receive liquid from the stationary impeller and distribute said liquid to the centrifuge dish.

It can be seen that in the exemplary embodiment, the decanter housing and the dish separator housing are engagably rotatable, but the screw conveyors are independently rotatable. Typically, the disk centrifuge and the central first liquid outlet pipe will rotate with the centrifuge housing.

In a useful embodiment, the separating apparatus has a plurality of perimeter holes or passages through the above-mentioned separating plates and the attachment plate holding the distribution dish to allow solid residues that may be transferred with the liquid from the decanter section to the centrifuge section to return to the decanter shell through the passages.

In some embodiments, the inlet (typically stationary) tube of the decanter section is supported at its distal end by a trestle or other positioning support.

The rotating outlet pipe (1208) of the decanter section is preferably supported by bearings (1209) held by the support structure. The screw conveyor is supported at its inlet end by bearings (1105) typically constructed in a bearing housing supported by the structural frame. The distal end of the conveyor (the end inside the decanter housing) is typically supported by bearings fixed to a separator plate (1111). The outlet pipe (1208) of the centrifuge section is secured by bearings (1209) preferably constructed in a bearing housing supported by a structural frame or support.

Drawings

The skilled artisan will appreciate that the drawings described below are for illustration purposes only. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present teachings in any way.

Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view along the central axis of the device.

Figure 2 shows the material flow through the apparatus.

Fig. 3 shows an exploded view of a centrifugal dish section, comprising an impeller 1202, a distribution dish 1204 and an attachment plate 1203, and an end plate 1207 with radially adjustable heavy liquid outlet holes 1212.

Figure 4 shows the flow of material through the centrifuge dish housing.

Fig. 5 shows an example of an end plate of a centrifuge disc housing 1207 with an arrangement for adjusting the radial position of the heavier liquid outlet holes 1212.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. These examples are provided to further an understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its scope.

In the following description, a series of steps will be described. The skilled artisan will appreciate that the order of the steps is not critical to the resulting construction and its effect, unless the context requires otherwise. Further, it will be apparent to a skilled person that no matter the order of the steps, whether there is a time delay between steps, may be present between some or all of the described steps.

In an embodiment of the invention, as shown in the cross-sectional view in fig. 1, a centrifuge decanter (1000) is comprised of a decanter section (1100) and a centrifuge section (1200). Figure 2 shows the material flow through a centrifuge decanter. Fig. 3 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the centrifuge section (1200), and fig. 4 shows the flow of material through the centrifuge section and the centrifuge decanter at the interface of the decanting and centrifuge sections. Fig. 5a and 5b show an embodiment of the arrangement of the adjustable (water) drain hole at the end of the disc separation housing.

The centrifugal separator consists of two joined casings, a decanter casing (1101, 1102) and a centrifuge disk casing (1201), which are held in place by bearings (1112) in unit recesses (1113) and bearings (1209) on bearing shafts (1208). The first section of the decanter housing (1101) is conical. The cone angle (defined as the angle to the central axis) of the conical portion (1101) is preferably in the range of 25-35 deg., but may in advantageous cases be in the range of 10-25 deg. or in the range of 35-60 deg.. The conical portion of the decanter shell is preferably in the range of 1/5 to 1/3 of the total length of the decanter shell, but in cases where it is considered advantageous, the conical portion may be anywhere in the range of 2/3 to 1/10 of the total length of the decanter shell. The disc separation shell (1201) is conical, preferably with a cone angle of 10-30 °, but alternatively the cone angle may be in the range of 30-45 °, or 20-45 °, or 5-15 °. The shell rotates at preferably at least about 3500 to 4500rpm, preferably through a wedge belt main drive or other belt drive or by a direct main drive or other suitable drive. The screw conveyor (1109) of the decanter section is conical along the conical section of the casing. On the inlet side of the centrifugal decanter, the screw conveyor of the decanter section rests on bearings (1105) on a bearing hub (1104), and at the intersection of the decanter and centrifuge sections rests on bearings (1106) placed between the inlet pipe (1103) and the hollow core tube (1114) of the screw conveyor. In operation, the rotational speed of the auger (1109) is lower than the rotational speed of the conveyor housing, regulated on the torch of the auger drive, preferably driven by a supplemental wedge band drive or by other suitable drive. The inlet pipe (1103) of the centrifugal decanter is stationary, resting on a positioning trestle (1115) or other positioning support at the inlet end, and on a positioning bearing (1106) inside the decanter. The inlet tube has outlet openings (1107) for the material to enter the hollow core (1114) of the screw conveyor and from there through the outlet openings (1108) into the screw conveyor housing. In the screw conveyor, the solid material is separated from the liquid under gravity and conveyed through the conical section of the decanter hose to discharge through the holes in its end plate (1110). At the intersection there is a fixed transfer plate (1111) where the screw conveyor housing engages the centrifugal disk housing and the inlet tube engages the fixed impeller (1202). The inlet tube and the fixed impeller rest on bearings (1106). The distribution plate (1204) after the impeller (1202) is fixed on the plate (1203) which is attached to the conical centrifuge disk housing (1201) and rotates with it. An inner tube, which is part of a shaft (1208), is fixed to the center of the plate (1203) and aligns a dispensing disc (1204), a series of separating discs (1205), and a terminal disc (1206), all attached to the shaft (1208). The distribution plate receives material from the stationary impeller and distributes the material along the stacked separation plates through respective plate apertures (1210). The lighter liquid phase, which separates from the heavier liquid phase on the disc surface (1206), accumulates in an inner tube (1208), which is perforated along the disc stack (1205). The inner tube extends through the center of the end plate (1207) of the centrifuge dish housing (1201) to the outside of the centrifuge decanter, providing an outlet for the lighter liquid fraction (1211). The end plate (1207) of the centrifuge housing is preferably provided with 2 to 4 open slits (1216), or, in advantageous cases, more. Each slit (1216) is covered from the outside by an adjustable slide plate (1214), the slide plate (1214) being provided with a discharge hole (1212) aligned with each slit (1216). The plates are arranged in a sliding profile (1215) and are radially adjusted by means of adjustment screws (1213), preferably driven by a stepper motor or other motorized means (not shown). Thus, the radial distance of the outlet holes (1212) of the heavier liquid phase may be adjusted relative to the center by moving the slide plate (1214) along the radial axis of the end plate (1207). The radial distance of the discharge holes can be varied from the outside of the centrifugal disk housing by means of manual or motor-driven adjusting screws, in the latter case allowing to adjust the separation of the liquid phase during operation.

The function of a centrifuge decanter is to provide three-phase separation of the components of the solid, heavier and lighter liquid phases. Which are typically solid particles of varying sizes, water components and oil/fat components. In the present example, the centrifuge decanter is specifically designed to be able to operate over a wide range of solid portions of the material under test and is adjustable to different feeds during operation. This is particularly useful in responding to changes in density of the lighter liquid phase in the feed during operation without compromising the performance of the separator. In a preferred embodiment, when the heavier liquid phase is water, the water is fed to a centrifuge decanter through an inlet (1116) of an inlet pipe (1103) of the separator before the material to be separated is fed to the separator and subjected to the separation process. The water flow enters the decanter housing (1101, 1102) and flows therefrom through the stationary impeller (1202) to the centrifuge housing (1201). This provides a radial water trap whose level (radial distance from the centre) is defined by adjustable apertures (1212) provided at the end plate (1207) of the centrifuge disc housing (1201). Alternatively, in the case where the target material is rich in a heavy liquid phase, such as water, injection prior to injection of the test material may be omitted. After sufficient water traps were established, the test material was fed through an inlet pipe to a centrifuge decanter.

The material under test is pumped through inlet conduits (S01, 1116) into the decanter centrifuge, from where it flows through outlet openings (1107) in the inlet conduits into the core of the hollow screw conveyor shaft (1114). The material under test flows from the core of the hollow screw conveyor shaft through an exit opening in the shaft (1108) into the decanter housing (1101, 1102). Due to centrifugal forces, the heaviest materials (dry matter, solids) (S04) are forced to the periphery of the decanter and due to the relative velocity difference between the decanter screw and decanter shell, the solids (dry matter) are conveyed (S05) through the conical section of the decanter, compressed there and then discharged through the solid matter outlet (1110) of the decanter section (1100). On the other hand, the liquid phase accumulates in the shape of a hollow cylinder extending along the inner wall of the decanter housing, and the liquid enters peripherally from its inner edge into a stationary impeller (S06), where it can be pressed towards the center of the impeller by the motion provided (S07). From the centre of the impeller, the liquid phase is supplied (S08) to the distribution dish (1204), from where it is distributed evenly to the separation dishes through their respective holes (S09, 1210). The distance of the holes from the center of the dish determines whether the result of the separation is a pure oil fraction and a water fraction with some remaining oil (refining), or leaves less water in the oil phase, while the water phase is oil-free (clear). The separation of the liquid into a heavier phase (such as water) and a lighter phase (such as oil or fat) is carried out on the surface of the separation tray, the capacity and separation rate depending on the total surface of the separation tray and the applied gravitational force. According to this separation principle, the heavier phase, together with the final remaining solid matter, may have been transferred from the decanter to the centrifuge dish section, which is pushed along the dish surface beyond the periphery of the dish, towards the inner boundary of the centrifuge dish housing (S10). Due to the conical shape of the centrifuge dish housing and the centrifugal forces, small amounts of solid matter, which may have been transferred out of the decanter section, are pushed along the inner surface of the centrifuge dish housing towards the decanter housing and enter the decanter section through small holes on the periphery of the plate (1203) attached to the conical centrifuge dish housing and separating the centrifuge dish and decanter housing (1202) (S11). A small amount of heavy liquid phase is returned to the decanter section together with the solid material due to the small internal leakage provided through the holes. The solid material is collected by the conveyor screw (1109) and conveyed (S12) towards its outlet (1110), while the liquid will circulate back to the centrifuge dish section via the stationary impeller (1202). The majority of the heavier liquid phase leaves the centrifuge dish shell directly through the adjustable holes (1212) in its end plate (S13) while the lighter liquid phase is pushed towards the centre of the centrifuge dish where it enters the outlet conduit for the lighter phase in the centre of the dish (S14) to leave the separator (S15).

In the present embodiment, a pressure equilibrium is established when liquid is pumped into the centrifugal dish housing. In this equilibrium state, the radial water traps prevent the lighter phase from extending to the periphery of the centrifuge disc housing and press it towards the center of the disc stack. The heavier liquid phase is transported towards the periphery of the disc housing and pure heavier liquid phase passes through the outer boundary of the end plate and exits the separator through the adjustable orifices in the end plate (S13). The division/separation between the light and heavy phases will depend on the difference in specific gravity of the two phases, which in turn determines the level of the water trap, i.e. the radial confinement of the light phase. For lower specific gravity of the lighter phase, the water trap level moves towards the center, while for higher specific gravity it extends further out from the center. In the present invention, the radial distance of the adjustable discharge orifices of the heavier phase can be adjusted at the operating means in order to achieve an optimum separation depending on the difference in specific gravity of the two phases to be separated. This is particularly advantageous where the material under test has a variable composition, for example where the material may contain fats or oils of different densities to be subjected to such a three-phase separation operation.