A self-emptying separator includes solids discharge openings each having a piston valve that is moveable moved into an opening position and into a closing position in a fluid-actuated manner. The emptying mechanism also has a control assembly assigned to the piston valve and controls the opening and closing movements of the latter. The control assembly also includes a control device and a metering device for metering and dispensing the amount of liquid required for the opening process. The metering device has a metering element that is movable in a metering chamber and which subdivides the metering chamber into a fluid chamber and a pressure chamber intended to be supplied with compressed air. The metering device has an adjusting system for metering the amount of liquid required for the opening process in the fluid chamber. The adjusting system has a measuring device that operates based on a fluidic measurement principle.

Centrifuges are useful to, among other things, remove red blood cells from whole blood and retain platelets and other factors in a reduced volume of plasma. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) and or platelet poor plasma (PPP) can be obtained rapidly and is ready for immediate injection into the host. Embodiments may include valves, operated manually or automatically, to open ports that discharge the excess red blood cells and the excess plasma into separate receivers while retaining the platelets and other factors in the centrifuge chamber. High speeds used allow simple and small embodiments to be used at the patient's side during surgical procedures. The embodiments can also be used for the separation of liquids or slurries in other fields such as, for example, the separation of pigments or lubricants.

A method for clarifying a flowable starting product of solids using a self-emptying centrifuge in continuous operation in a centrifugal field in the rotating drum. A continuous draining of at least one clarified liquid phase occurs and solids emptying occurs repeatedly via outlet openings that are intermittently opened and closed. The emptying of solids from the drum of the centrifuge is initiated, the speed of the drum of the centrifuge is reduced, the solids are emptied from the solids collection chamber of the drum after lowering the speed of the drum, and the emptying of the solids from the drum is ended.

A method of calibrating a centrifugal separator includes retrieving stored data representing a first correlation between different amounts of sediment discharges and rotational speed reductions of the rotatable bowl, generating trigger signals to discharge different amounts of sediment, measuring rotational speed reductions of the rotatable bowl that correspond to the discharges, obtaining values corresponding to the sediment discharges based on the rotational speed reductions and the first correlation, determining data representing a second correlation between the different sediment discharges and trigger signals based on the trigger signals and the values corresponding to the sediment discharges, and obtaining a trigger signal corresponding to a desired discharge amount based on the second correlation.

A method of calibrating a centrifugal separator includes retrieving stored data representing a first correlation between different amounts of sediment discharges and rotational speed reductions of the rotatable bowl, generating trigger signals to discharge different amounts of sediment, measuring rotational speed reductions of the rotatable bowl that correspond to the discharges, obtaining values corresponding to the sediment discharges based on the rotational speed reductions and the first correlation, determining data representing a second correlation between the different sediment discharges and trigger signals based on the trigger signals and the values corresponding to the sediment discharges, and obtaining a trigger signal corresponding to a desired discharge amount based on the second correlation.

A centrifugal separator includes a rotor, and a control system. The control system includes a first and a second pressure sensor arranged at first and second radial positions in a separation space of the rotor. The first and second pressure sensors are positioned to be submerged in process liquid during operation of the centrifugal separator. A control unit of the control system is configured to determine a parameter of the process liquid within the separation space during operation of the centrifugal separator based on measurements from the first and second pressure sensors.

A self-emptying separator includes a rotatable drum with an inlet, a liquid outlet, outlet openings for solid material, and a control system. A flowable starting product is cleared of the solids in continuous operation in a centrifugal field in the rotating drum. A continuous discharge of a clear phase is performed. A solid phase is discharged via the outlet openings from a solids collecting space of the drum into an annular solids catcher. The solids catcher has a device for generating a fluid curtain against which the solids, issuing from the outlet openings for solid material, impact.

A self-emptying separator includes a rotatable drum with an inlet, a liquid outlet, outlet openings for solid material, and a control system. A flowable starting product is cleared of the solids in continuous operation in a centrifugal field in the rotating drum. A continuous discharge of a clear phase is performed. A solid phase is discharged via the outlet openings from a solids collecting space of the drum into an annular solids catcher. The solids catcher has a device for generating a fluid curtain against which the solids, issuing from the outlet openings for solid material, impact.

A self-draining separator for centrifugal separation of a suspension into a light liquid phase, a heavy solid phase, and a moderately heavy intermediate phase. The separator includes a rotatable centrifuging drum, a liquid discharge for the light liquid phase, a discontinuously active solid matter discharge opening for the heavy solid phase, to which a first actuatable discharge device is assigned, by way of which the solid matter discharge opening can be discontinuously opened and closed. The separator also includes a discontinuously active discharge opening for the intermediate phase, to which at least one second actuatable discharge device is assigned, by way of which the discharge opening for the intermediate phase can be discontinuously opened and closed again. The second discontinuously active discharge device can be actuated independently of the first discontinuously active discharge device, with the result that the discharge of the intermediate phase can take place temporally independently of the discharge of the solid phase.

A self-draining separator for centrifugal separation of a suspension into a light liquid phase, a heavy solid phase, and a moderately heavy intermediate phase. The separator includes a rotatable centrifuging drum, a liquid discharge for the light liquid phase, a discontinuously active solid matter discharge opening for the heavy solid phase, to which a first actuatable discharge device is assigned, by way of which the solid matter discharge opening can be discontinuously opened and closed. The separator also includes a discontinuously active discharge opening for the intermediate phase, to which at least one second actuatable discharge device is assigned, by way of which the discharge opening for the intermediate phase can be discontinuously opened and closed again. The second discontinuously active discharge device can be actuated independently of the first discontinuously active discharge device, with the result that the discharge of the intermediate phase can take place temporally independently of the discharge of the solid phase.