MULTI-CHAMBERED HYDROCLONE

A hydroclone (10) having a tank (12) including a fluid inlet (14), a filtered fluid outlet (16), an effluent outlet (18), a process fluid outlet (20) and an inner peripheral wall (22) enclosing a plurality of vertically aligned chambers (24, 30, 32). In one embodiment the tank (12) includes three vertically aligned chambers including a vortex chamber (24) in fluid communication with the fluid inlet (14). A filter assembly (26) is located within the vortex chamber (24) and encloses a filtrate chamber (66). The vortex chamber (24) includes a fluid pathway (28) adapted for receiving incoming fluid and generating a vortex fluid flow about the filter assembly (26). The filtrate chamber (56) is in fluid communication with the filtered fluid outlet (16) such that fluid passing through the filter assembly (26) enters the filtrate chamber (56) and may exit the tank (12) by way of the filtered fluid outlet (16). An effluent separation chamber (30) is located below and in fluid communication with the vortex chamber (24) and is adapted for receiving unfiltered fluid from the vortex chamber (24). A process fluid chamber (32) is located below and in fluid communication with the effluent separation chamber (30) and is adapted for receiving a process fluid from the effluent separation chamber (30) wherein the process fluid chamber (32) is in fluid communication with the process fluid outlet (20) by which process fluid may exit the tank (12). A vortex flow barrier (34) is located between the vortex and effluent separation chambers (24, 30) and disrupts vortex fluid flow from the vortex chamber (24) to the effluent separation chamber (30). An effluent barrier (36) is located below the effluent separation chamber (30) and directs fluid flow from the effluent separation chamber (30) to the process fluid outlet (20), and wherein the effluent barrier (36) further comprises a centrally located effluent opening (38) in fluid communication with the effluent outlet (18) by which effluent may exit the tank (12). A hydrodone (10) having a tank (12) induding a fluid inlet (14), a filtered fluid outlet (16), an effluent outlet (18), a process fluid outlet (20) and an inner peripheral wall (22) endosing a plurality of vertically aligned chambers (24, 30, 32). In one embodiment the tank (12) includes three vertically aligned chambers including a vortex chamber (24) in fluid communication with the fluid inlet (14). A filter assembly (26) is located within the vortex chamber (24) and endos