Disposable, self-driven centrifuge

The present invention relates in general to the design and construction of self-driven centrifugal separators with disposable component parts. More specifically, a first embodiment of the present invention relates to the design and construction of a self-driven, cone-stack centrifuge wherein the entire cone-stack assembly and rotor shell combination is designed to be disposable, including the structural configuration as well as the selected materials. In a related embodiment, all of the disposable-design features are retained, but the cone-stack subassembly is removed. A disposable, cone-stack, self-driven centrifuge rotor assembly for separating particulate matter out of a circulating flow of oil includes first and second rotor shell portions which are injection molded out of plastic and joined together by induction welding engaging edges so as to create an enclosing shell with a hollow interior. An injection molded, plastic support hub is assembled into a central opening in the lower half of the rotor shell and extends upwardly into the hollow interior. An injection molded, plastic alignment spool is assembled into a central opening in the upper portion of the rotor shell and extends downwardly into the hollow interior. A cone-stack subassembly, including a plurality of individual separation cones which are injection molded out of plastic, are arranged into an aligned stack and positioned within the hollow interior and cooperatively assembled between the support hub and the alignment spool.