The present invention relates to a centrifugal separator comprising a bowl rotatable around an axis of rotation extending in a longitudinal direction of the bowl. The bowl includes a conical part with a narrow discharge end having a radial surface; an end member opposite the radial surface; a number of distance members extending between the radial surface and the end member. Outlet openings are provided between adjacent distance members. The distance members have an axial length in an axial direction of the axis of rotation and an exterior circumferential surface perpendicular to the axial length. Wear resistance members cover surfaces defined by the outlet openings.
The invention further relates to a wear resistance member for such centrifugal separators and to a set of wear resistance members for the centrifugal separators.
It is well known to provide wear resistance members at the solid phase or heavy phase outlet of a centrifugal separator since the solid phase separated from a feed inside the bowl of the centrifugal separator is abrasive in some applications such as drilling mud.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,584 discloses a centrifugal separator wherein L-shaped wear resistance members are provided to protect the surfaces of the distance members directly exposed to the out-flowing solid phase. The leg of the L-shaped member extend beyond the external surface of the bowl. The L-shaped member is fastened by a bolt inserted through the distance member and into the L-shaped member from the outside. The L-shaped member is dimensioned in a way so that it can be inserted and fitted without the bowl having to be dismantled. The L-shaped members are of a complicated construction involving many parts to be assembled.
The bowl is usually accommodated in a casing with compartments receiving the material being discharged from the outlets of the bowl, e.g., the solid phase. The solid phase may build-up in the receiving compartment until it reaches the outside of the bowl at the outlets causing abrasion of the bowl. The leg of the L-shaped member extending beyond the external surface of the bowl may act as a scraper to reduce this problem. The L-shaped members are built from several pieces and thus have a complicated construction.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,374,529 discloses another centrifugal separator wherein U-shaped wear resistance members are inserted in the outlet openings from the outside and fastened from the outside by means of bolts inserted through external flanges of the U-shaped member and fastened in the material of the bowl. The bolts thus have to counteract the centrifugal force acting on the U-shaped member. The U-shaped members extend beyond the external surface of the bowl. Spacers are fastened between the U-shaped members to the external side of the distance members by means of bolts counteracting the centrifugal force acting on the spacers. Since the material used for wear resistance members are usually brittle, using bolts introduced through the wear resistance member from the outside may cause a strength problem.
There is disclosed herein a wear resistance member including a bushing member with a mantle portion surrounding a respective distance member at least around a sufficient portion of the exterior circumferential surface of the distance member to prevent removal of the bushing member in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. Thus, the need for bolts penetrating the wear resistance members from the outside to counteract the centrifugal force is avoided, because the bushing members are securely carried by the distance members. Providing wear members in the form of bushings requires that these wear members must be fitted on the distance members before the end member of the centrifugal separator is assembled with the conical part of the bowl. Correspondingly, dismantling is necessary in order to renew the wear members. However, using a high quality wear resistance material, renewal is needed only at such long intervals that this drawback is inferior to the benefits of the invention.
In one embodiment the mantle portion of the bushing member is tubular and circumferentially surrounds the distance member completely, resulting in an effective protection of the outside of the distance members against abrasion.
In another embodiment the mantle portion of the bushing member has a C-shaped cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction. Further the wear resistance members preferably comprise a plurality of plate members each covering a portion of the radial surface, resulting in a simple construction facilitating use of high quality wear resistance materials, such as tungsten carbide.
In one embodiment the bushing member has at one end a flange abutting the radial surface and covering a portion of the radial surface. Preferably a plate member is fitted on the radial surface between adjacent bushing members. Edges of the flanges of the bushing members overlap edges of the plate members, thereby the plate members are retained against the radial surface by the bushing members. Preferably the plate members have a waist portion, the flanges being configured to engage the waist portion and secure the plate members due to the overlap and the waist portion, to retain the plate members in both radial directions.
In one embodiment, the plate members respectively comprise an opening for a distance member to extend through, and an edge of a plate member overlaps an adjacent edge of an adjacent plate member. Preferably the plate member comprises a hole for a fastening member, and the opening for a distance member is adapted to accommodate an end of a bushing member. Due to the distance member and further the bushing member passing through and into, respectively, the opening in the plate member, the plate member is retained against the centrifugal force by the distance member together with the bushing member. Preferably the plate members are in this embodiment mounted, e.g., by means of an adhesive (e.g. glue) on a flat steel ring with corresponding holes and openings, whereby the steel ring with the plate members is secured by fasteners such as bolts inserted through the holes and tightened against rims of the holes in the steel ring without being tightened against the rims of the holes of the plate members. The plate member holes having a larger diameter than the holes of the steel ring. The fastener, e.g., a bolt, inserted through the hole in the plate member will only actively retain the plate member in case the adhesive fails and then mainly retain the plate member in an axial direction, in which direction the force acting on the plate member is small relative to the centrifugal force.
In one embodiment, a concave edge of the wear resistance members covering a portion of the radial surface includes an extension rising from a plane of the wear resistance member, whereby the extension is arranged to extend around an internal edge of the conical part adjacent the radial surface to protect the internal edge of the conical part adjacent the radial surface.
Preferably the wear resistance members comprise tungsten carbide.
Preferably the distance members, and accordingly the mantle portions of the bushing members, have a non-circular cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction preventing the bushing members from rotating around the distance members.
Preferably the mantle portion fits on the distance member with a loose fit and a filling material is provided filling the gaps between the mantle portion and the distance member. The loose fit reduces or eliminates tensions that might cause fracture of the bushing members. The filling material, such as the adhesive, results in an even distribution of the forces acting between the mantle portion and the distance member.
The object of the present invention is further obtained by a wear resistance member for a centrifugal separator. The wear resistance member is shaped as a bushing member having a mantle portion for surrounding a respective distance member at least around a sufficient portion of an exterior circumferential surface of the distance member to prevent removal of the bushing member in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction, and by a set of wear resistance members for a centrifugal separator according to the invention. The set includes bushing members having mantle portions for surrounding a respective distance member at least around a sufficient portion of an exterior circumferential surface of the distance member to prevent removal of the bushing member in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction, and plate members for covering a portion of the radial surface between adjacent bushing members.
There is disclosed herein a centrifugal separator which includes a bowl rotatable in a direction of rotation around a longitudinal axis of rotation of the bowl. The bowl includes a conical part with a discharge end having a radial surface. The centrifugal separator includes an end member opposite the radial surface. A plurality of distance members extend between the radial surface and the end member and provide outlet openings between adjacent distance members. The distance members have an axial length extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of rotation and an exterior circumferential surface extending longitudinally around the distance member. The centrifugal separator includes one or more first wear resistance member(s) having an inner surface covering at least a portion of the exterior circumferential surface of the distance member. The first wear resistance member has an axial end surface covering a first portion of the radial surface. The centrifugal separator includes one or more second wear resistance member(s) covering a second portion of the radial surface.
In one embodiment, the first wear resistance member includes a mantle that is tubular and completely circumferentially surrounds the exterior circumferential surface of said distance member.
In one embodiment, the first wear resistance member includes a mantle that has a C-shaped cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction.
In one embodiment, the second wear resistance member is a plate member.
In one embodiment, a flange extends radially outward from the first wear resistance member.
In one embodiment, the flange and the second wear resistance member engage one another via overlapping edges thereof.
In one embodiment, the second wear resistance member has a waist portion which engages the flange.
In one embodiment, the second wear resistance member has an opening extending therethrough and the distance member extends through the opening.
In one embodiment, the second wear resistance member has a hole extending therethrough to receive a fastening member.
In one embodiment, the second wear resistance member is a plate member that includes a concave edge. The concave edge has a lip extending therefrom, the radial surface has a corner formed on a radially innermost portion thereof. The lip extends over the corner to provide wear protection to the corner.
In one embodiment, the first wear resistance member and/or the second wear resistance member are tungsten carbide.
In one embodiment, the distance members and the first wear resistance member have a non-circular cross-section perpendicular to the axial direction thereby preventing the second wear resistance member from rotating around the respective distance member.
In one embodiment, the first wear resistance member is a mantle positioned around the distance member thereby defining a gap therebetween and a filling material is disposed in the gap.
The invention will in the following be described in further detail by way of example with reference to the attached schematic drawings.
A rotating body 1 of a centrifugal separator or decanter centrifuge schematically shown in
For the sake of simplicity, directions “up” and “down” are used herein as referring to a radial direction towards the axis 5 of rotation and away from the axis 5 of rotation, respectively.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The area around the solid phase discharge openings or outlet openings 10 is shown in more detail in
As shown in
As best shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The embodiment shown in
The second embodiment includes cylindrical bushing members 43 (also referred to as first wear resistance members) and plate members 45 (also referred to as second wear resistance members) that are collectively referred to herein as wear resistance members. In one embodiment the bushing members are conical to correspond to the shape of the distance members 27, similar to that shown and described with reference to
As shown in
As shown in
The plate member 45 has a concave edge 53 with an extension 55 rising from the plane of the surface 57 abutting the radial surface 19 when the plate member has been mounted, whereby the extension 55 extends around the internal edge of the radial surface 19 to protect said internal edge. Accordingly, the extension 55 is similar to the separate corner elements 41 of the first embodiment as illustrated in
At either end of the concave edge 53 the plate member has stepped edge 59, 61, whereby the stepped edges are oppositely stepped so that an edge 59 adjacent the hole 51 of one plate member 45 may overlap an edge 61 adjacent the opening 49 of a neighbouring plate member 45b when the plate members 45 are mounted to form a ring on the radial surface 19.
Mounting of the plate members 45 is performed as follows: The plate members 45 are assembled into a ring as shown in
Moreover, the non-circular cross-section of an inner wall 69 of the bushing member 63, which corresponds to the cross-section of the distance member 27, prevents the bushing member 63 from rotating around the distance member 27. Since the mantle portion 67 has the C-shaped cross-section, only a portion of the exterior circumferential surface 27X of the distance member is covered by the inner wall 69, as shown in
As best shown in
The straight overlapping edges 73 and 75 extend along the ends of the extensions 79, 81, and thus the bushing members 63 also secure the plate members 65 in the upwardly radial direction.
It should be noted that further combinations of features of the three embodiments are possible. For example in the third embodiment it would be possible to use tubular mantle portions surrounding the distance members completely, like in the first embodiment.
Although this invention has been shown and described with respect to the detailed embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed in the above detailed description, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
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