USOO5637217A

United States Patent [191

[11]

Patent Number:

Herman et al.

[45]

Date of Patent:

[54] SELF-DRIVEN, CONE-STACK TYPE

3,990,631

CENTRIFUGE

ll/1976 Schall .

FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS

both of Cookeville, Tenn.

444256

[73] Assignee: Fleetguard, Inc., Nashville. Tenn.

l/l949

Italy .

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

[211 Appl. No.: 583,634

Jan. 5, 1996
[22] Filed:

Theodore De Ioggio and Alan Letki, New Directions in

Centrifuging, Chemical Engineering, pp. 70-76 Jan. 1994.

Spinner II, product brochure, T. G. Hudgins, Incorporated

1985.

Related US. Application Data

Theory of Separation, Alfa Laval Separation AB, pp. 1-8.

[63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 378,197, Jan. 25, 1995, Pat.

No. 5,575,912.

[58]

Jun. 10, 1997

(List continued on next page.)

[75] Inventors: Peter K. Herman; Byron A. Pal-due,

[51] Int. Cl.6

[52] US. Cl.

5,637,217

...................................................... .. B04B 1/08

210/380.1; 210/168; 184/624;

494/68; 494/70; 494fl2; 494/73

Field of Search ...................... .. 184/624; 210/3601,

210/3801, 168, DIG. 17; 494/49, 56, 76,

79, 68. 70. 71. 72, 73, 80, 75

Primary Examiner-David A. Reifsnyder

Attorney, Agent, or FirmWoodard, Emhardt, Naughton,
Moriarty & McNett

[57]

ABSTRACT

A bypass circuit centrifuge for separating particulate matter

out of a circulating liquid includes a hollow and generally

cylindrical centrifuge bowl which is arranged in combina

tion with a base plate so as to de?ne a liquid ?ow chamber.

[56]
882,119
993,791

1,006,622
1,038,607
1,136,654
1,151,686

References Cited

A hollow centertube axially extends up through the base

plate into the hollow interior of the centrifuge bowl. The

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

bypass circuit centrifuge is designed so as to be assembled

within a cover assembly and a pair of oppositely disposed

tangential ?ow nozzles in the base plate are used to spin the

3/1908 Ohlsson.
5/1911 Ohlsson.
10/1911

Bailey ..................................... .. 494/75

bowl includes a plurality of truncated cones which are

arranged into a stacked array and are closely spaced so as to

8/1915 Hultet a1. .

1,232,811 7/1917 Kimball.

1,482,418 2/1924 Unger.
1,784,510 12/1930 Be?ine.
2,031,734 2/1936 Riebel, Jr. et a1. .
2,302,381 11/1942 Scott.
2,305,469 1211942 Forsberg.
2,578,485 12/1951 Nyrop ..................................... ..
2,665,060 1/1954 Harstick.
2,725,190 11/1955 Hein et a1. .
2,735,614 2/1956 Hubmann.
2,738,923 3/1956 Harstick.
2,752,090 6/1956 Kyselka et a1. .
2,755,017 7/1956 Kyselka et a1. .
3,187,998 6/1965 Madany.
3,858,793 l/l975 Dudrey.

centrifuge within the cover so as to cause particles to

separate out from the liquid. The interior of the centrifuge

9/1912 Lawson.
4/1915 Callanc.

enhance the separation e?iciency. The incoming liquid ?ow

exits the centertube through a pair of oil inlets and from
there is directed into the stacked array of cones. In one

494/71

embodiment, a top plate in conjunction with ribs on the

inside surface of the centrifuge bowl accelerate and direct
this ?ow into the upper portion of the stacked array. In
another embodiment the stacked array is arranged as part of
a disposable subassembly. In each embodiment, as the ?ow
passes through the channels created between adjacent cones,
particle separation occurs as the liquid continues to ?ow
downwardly to the tangential ?ow nozzles.

30 Claims, 18 Drawing Sheets

5,637,217
Page 2
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

4,067,494
4,106,689
4,288,030
4,325,825
4,400,167
4,427,407

1/1978 Wlllus et a1. .

8/1978 Kozulla .
9/1981 Beazley et a1. .
4/1982 Schutte .
8/1983 Beazley et a1. .
1/1984 Paschedag .

4,460,352
4,787,975
4,915,682
4,961,724
5,045,049
5,052,996

7/1984
11/1988
4/1990

Bruning .

10/1990

Paoe .

9/1991
10/1991

Lantz .

Purvey .
Stoucken .

Lantz .

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 1 of 18

,1
..

FIG

1
(PRIOR ART)

5,637,217

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 3 of 18

5,637,217

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 4 of 18

5,637,217
460

4A

FIG. 3A

Mm\%\\
A

FIG. 4A

US. Patent

Jun. 10,1997

Sheet 5 of 18

5,637,217
' 47

/as 52

//

1|!

PM
FIG. 6

52

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 6 of 18

FIG. 8
(PRIOR ART)

5,637,217

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 7 of 18

5,637,217

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 8 of 18

5,637,217

188

160
1 87
1 900

1 880

183

207
200

177
165

164

167

163

172

FIG. 11

174

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 9 of 18

5,637,217

Al 8 6

206

209
21 1

207

208

228

FIG. 12

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

FIG. 13

Sheet 10 of 18

5,637,217

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 11 of 18

FIG. 14

5,637,217

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 12 of 18

FIG. 15

5,637,217

US. Patent

Jun. 10,1997

Sheet 13 of 18

5,637,217

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 14 of 18

5,637,217

208

FIG. 18

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 15 of 18

5,637,217

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 16 of 18

FIG. 21

FIG. 22

5,637,217

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 17 of 18

248

257

'///{///
257

FIG. 21A

5,637,217

US. Patent

Jun. 10, 1997

Sheet 18 of 18

5,637,217

274
273
270

\ 271
2720

272

272

FIG. 23