Vibratory screening apparatus

1. A vibratory screening apparatus for use in separating solids from a liquid and solids mixture feed, said apparatus comprising a vibratable screen element mounted over a reservoir suitable for holding a body of liquid slurry, a first end of said screen element being disposed at a level inside said reservoir such that, in use, said first end is submerged in a said body of liquid slurry at one end of said reservoir, with the second end of said screen element being disposed above the other distal end of said reservoir, such that said screening element is inclined to the horizontal with at least a portion thereof being submerged in a said body of liquid slurry; and means formed and arranged for vibrating said screen element such that oversize solids in a liquid slurry, in use of the apparatus, are dewatered on the screen element and are discharged from the second elevated end of screen element and undersize solids pass through the screen element;

wherein the vibratable screen element is mounted in a basket and vibrated by vibration means acting on the basket and either:

the mounting system of the basket is provided with means for lowering the basket cyclically into and out of the fluid reservoir;

or:

the mounting system of the basket is provided with means for raising and lowering cyclically the first end of the screen while the distal end of the screen is fixed and pivots;

thereby allowing the screen element to carry out its separation of solids when submerged and then to clear itself of oversize solids when the basket is in a raised position or when the first end of the basket is raised.

2. A vibratory screening apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said basket is mounted in said reservoir such that said reservoir and said basket, including said screen element are vibrated by the suitable vibration means.

3. A vibratory screening apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is provided multiple screen elements arranged in decks, each deck being fed with liquid slurry independently and run in parallel.

4. A vibratory screening apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein there are provided means for injecting air into a said body of liquid slurry adjacent said screen element.

5. A vibratory screening apparatus as claimed in claim 1 provided with means for pushing solids on a first end of the screen element towards the second end of said screen element.

6. A vibratory screening machine for use in removing solids from a liquid and solids mixture feed, comprising a vibratory screening apparatus according to claim 1 ; a feed for supplying liquid slurry to said vibratable screen element; a discharge means on said reservoir for discharging fluid slurry that has passed through the screen element and means for discharging said slurry, in use of the machine, from said machine; and means for collecting over-size solids discharged from the second end of said screen element.

7. A vibratory screening machine as claimed in claim 6 provided with control means for controlling the rate of feed of a liquid and solids mixture feed to said vibratable screen element.

8. A vibratory screening machine as claimed in claim 6 provided with control means for controlling the discharge rate of solid and liquids from the reservoir under the screen.

9. A vibratory screening machine as claimed in claim 7 wherein said feed control means is formed and arranged to operate in a cyclical manner.

10. A vibratory screening machine as claimed in claim 8 wherein said discharge control means is formed and arranged to operate in a cyclical manner.

11. A method of separating solids from a liquid, the method comprising:

providing a vibratory screening apparatus according to claim 6 ; and

providing a liquid slurry to the feed.