There are many filtration technologies for liquid-solid separation in the industrial process. In most cases, the obtained solid is the desired product, but there are some cases (though less common) in which the filtered liquid is a valuable product. No matter what material you want to harvest, or whether your process is running continuously or in batches, you will be at a loss when you try to determine which equipment best suits your process requirements. Since the types of materials to be separated may vary depending on particle size and product density, as well as the details of other specific applications, there is no one-size-fits-all design that meets all types of filtration requirements.
The two most popular separation technologies are centrifuges and filters / dryers.
In this article, we will define each of these units and review some of their strengths and weaknesses through product comparisons. Although in some cases these units can compete with each other, there are many applications that prefer one technology to another based on their capabilities and limitations.
The six most prominent industries that use large separation equipment are:
Wastewater treatment-mechanical separation of suspended solids, toxic heavy metals and fatty organic materials.
Chemical processing-Filtration of raw materials such as acids, salts and polymers.
Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology-production of drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), vaccines and drugs.
Processing of fuels and biofuels-ethanol, synthetic fuels and biodiesel.
Food processing-refining of vegetable oils, dairy products and alcohol.
Mining and mineral processing-purification of coal, tar sands and precious metals.
Of course, there are other industries and use cases for these filter technologies, but this list is designed to give you an overview of the widespread use of centrifuges and filters / dryers throughout the process.
The operation of the centrifuge is based on the core principle of centrifugal force-an outward force caused by the rapid circumferential rotation of the equipment through an electric motor. The purpose of the device is to separate, extract and / or clean products in continuous or discontinuous (batch) operations using high-speed gravity generated by rapid RPM. The filtered product then falls to the bottom of the centrifuge and is discharged from the container. .
There are two types of industrial centrifuges-settling centrifuges and filter centrifuges. Our focus is on the filter centrifuge, which uses the above centrifugal force to pass the liquid through the filter medium (such as wire mesh or cloth), while the solid is captured by the medium. This category is divided into three main types: perforated basket centrifuges (think of washing machine design), propulsive centrifuges (with a basket rotating on a horizontal axis to achieve "moving bed" continuous filtration and discharge) and peeling centrifuges (for batch or continuous processes, and have a peeling knife mechanism to facilitate the complete discharge of the product).
Filters / dryers are another logical option for seeking to provide efficient filtration equipment suitable for critical, high-purity separation. As with centrifuges, various types of filters are available, and a major example is the Nutsche filter / dryer, which uses batch filtration technology through the use of vacuum and / or pressure in airtight containers. The pressure / vacuum is used in combination with a filter plate with an appropriate filter medium to force the liquid through the medium to form a solid bed commonly referred to as a "filter cake".
We will introduce their differences and functions and winners in our next blog. If you want to learn more, or you want to buy our centrifuges, please feel free to contact us.
