US 12,330,171 B2
Decanter centrifuges and associated acceleration pipes and methods
Luciano Guandalini, Occhiobello Rovigo (IT); Gocha Chochua, Sugar Land, TX (US); Marco Bergonzoni, Occhiobello Rovigo (IT); and Leonardo Renzo Vicentini, Occhiobello Rovigo (IT)
Assigned to SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Filed by Schlumberger Technology Corporation, Sugar Land, TX (US)
Filed on Dec. 23, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/560,585.
Claims priority of application No. 102021000000035 (IT), filed on Jan. 4, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0212205 A1, Jul. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. B04B 1/20 (2006.01)
CPC B04B 1/2016 (2013.01) [B04B 2001/2033 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A decanter centrifuge, comprising:
a drum including a cylindrical portion and a frustoconical portion, the drum including a drum inlet, a solids outlet, and a liquid outlet;
a screw conveyor rotatably mounted within the drum and having a cylindrical portion disposed within the cylindrical portion of the drum and a frustoconical portion disposed within the frustoconical portion of the drum;
a drive assembly operatively coupled to the drum and the screw conveyor, the drive assembly arranged to rotate the drum at a first speed and the screw conveyor at a second speed;
an acceleration chamber disposed within the drum and arranged to rotate with the screw conveyor;
an acceleration pipe coupled to the screw conveyor and arranged to rotate with the screw conveyor, the acceleration pipe disposed between the drum inlet and the acceleration chamber, and the acceleration pipe including an inlet end, an outlet end, and an exterior surface extending between the inlet end and the outlet end, wherein the exterior surface defines a circumferential groove at each of the inlet end and the outlet end; and
a feed pipe in flow communication with the acceleration chamber, via the drum inlet and the acceleration pipe,
wherein the acceleration pipe is adapted to receive a suspension from the feed pipe and to rotate the suspension, based on a corresponding rotation of the screw conveyor, prior to the suspension exiting the acceleration pipe and being received by the acceleration chamber.