Faculty of Engineering

Port Said university

Chemical Engineering Department

Unit operation

Prepared by
Maged Husain Abdelhamid
2nd year – chemical engineering department
16 April 2024

Presented to
Dr. Fathy Shokry
Eng. Rawan El-Shafei
 Centrifugal separator types

1. Introduction
A centrifugal separator is a device that uses the
principle of centrifugal force to separate sub-
stances of different densities within a mixture.
It's particularly effective for separating a liquid
from suspended solids or separating liquids that
have different densities.

2. Working Principle
The mixture to be separated is fed into the sepa-
rator, where it is rapidly spun around in a circu-
lar path. Due to the centrifugal force, the heavier
particles or denser liquid moves outward to-
wards the perimeter of the separator, while the
lighter particles or less dense liquid remains
closer to the center. Figure 1 Centrifugal separator.

3. Types of centrifugal separators

3.1. Disc stack centrifuges (Fig. 2)

A disc stack centrifuge, also known as a disc bowl, conical plate, disk stack, or
disc stack separator, is a specifically designed industrial centrifuge with a stack of
cone-shaped discs.
These use a series of stacked disks to separate solid particles from liquid or gas.
The particles are thrown outwards to the edge of the disks and then collected.

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Working principle, the disc stack centrifuge separates solids and one or two liq-
uid phases from each other in one single continuous process, using extremely high
centrifugal forces. When the denser solids are subjected to such forces, they are
forced outwards against the rotating bowl wall, while the less dense liquid phases
form concentric inner layers.
The area where these two different liquid phases meet is called the interface posi-
tion. This can be easily varied to ensure that the separation takes place with max-
imum efficiency. The disc stack provides additional surface settling area, which
contributes to speeding up the separation process dramatically. It is the configura-
tion, shape and design of these plates that make it possible for a disc stack centri-
fuge to undertake the continuous separation of a wide range of different solids
from either one or two liquids.

Advantages, highly efficient for fine par-

ticles (down to 0.5µm) and immiscible
liquids, the additional surface area from
the cone-shaped discs reduces settling dis-
tance and enhances separation, Rapid ro-
tation creates a controllable centrifugal
force (up to 10,000 Gs), resulting in pre-
cise and speedy separation, Faster separa-
tion leads to higher quality and better
yield.

Figure 2 Disk stack centrifuges.

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3.2. Decanter centrifuges (Fig. 3)
A decanter centrifuge, also known as a solid horizontal bowl centrifuge, is a device
used to continuously separate solid materials from liquids in a slurry. It plays a
crucial role in various industries, including wastewater treatment, chemical pro-
cessing, oil, and food processing.

Figure 3 Decanter centrifuges.

working principle, decanter centrifuge uses the method of separation of the prod-
uct fed into solid-liquid phases by applying high centrifugal force and continu-
ously gaining of these separated phases from different outlets. The product to be
separated is fed into the feeding chamber in the spiral conveyor which rotates at
high speed by the feeding pipe. By the effect of the centrifugal force, the product
enters the bowl and forms layers through the bowl’s inner wall according to their
density differences. Heavy phase (solid) settles down through the bowl wall and
the settled solid phase is conveyed to the solid’s outlet at the conical part by the
conveyor, while the separated liquid phase is gained through the height adjustable
plates at the end of the cylindrical part. Conveying of the solid phase is provided
by the differential speed between the bowl and the conveyor.

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3.3. Inertial separators (Fig. 4)
An inertial separator is a device used to separate particles from a gas stream with-
out the use of filters, through the process of inertia.
Working principle, Inertial separators concentrate or collect particles by chang-
ing the direction of motion of the flowing gas, in such a way that the particle tra-
jectories cross over the gas steam lines and the particles are either concentrated
into a small part of the gas flow or are separated by impingement onto a surface.

Common types
Cyclones: Use a vortex motion to separate particles from the gas stream.
Baffle Chambers: Slow down the gas flow and use a series of baffles to cause
particles to settle out of the air stream.
Settling Chambers: Allow the gas to expand and slow down so that particles can
settle out due to gravity.

Advantages
They are relatively simple and inexpensive
to operate and maintain.
They can handle large volumes of gas and
high concentrations of particulate matter.
They have no moving parts, which reduces
the risk of mechanical failure.

Figure 4 Inertial separators.

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3.4. Tubular centrifuge (Fig. 5)
The tubular centrifuge is used primarily for
the continuous separation of liquids from
liquids or of very fine particles from
liquids, although in some cases it is
employed as a batch-type centrifuge. In
general, it is used when higher centrifugal
fields are required for separation.

Working principle
The rotating bowl of a tubular centrifuge
consists of a long hollow tube as shown in
Figure 5. For continuous separation the
Figure 5 Tubular centrifuge.
feed or material to be centrifuged enters at
one end near the axis and is removed in two streams containing the separated
material. In many cases the separation is not complete, and the separated fractions
must be passed through the machine several times. Many different designs for the
internal structure of the tube are employed, but, in general, radial vanes are used
to bring the feed material up to speed and to slow down the separated streams
before they are discharged. The centrifuge is driven by a high-speed motor or an
air or steam turbine. The sedimentation takes place as the fluid flows from one end
of the tube to the other. When the heavy material consists of very fine particles or
molecules and the concentration is very low, the solid material is usually allowed
to deposit on the wall. In this case the machine is operated as a batch centrifuge.

Advantages
High separation efficiency, Compact design and space-saving and, Easy to operate
and maintain.

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3.5. Liquid-liquid centrifugal separation
The separation of a mixture consisting of two immiscible liquids into two coherent
phases is an important task in chemical, biotechnological, pharmaceutical as well
as in food industry. A liquid-liquid centrifugal separator is a device designed to
separate two immiscible liquids based on their different densities using centrifugal
force.
Working principle
The separator utilizes centrifugal force generated by spinning a container or rotor.
When two immiscible liquids (such as oil and water) are introduced into the
rotating container, the heavier liquid (higher density) is forced toward the wall of
the rotor, while the lighter liquid (lower density) moves toward the center.
The separation occurs due to the difference in centrifugal forces acting on the
liquids.
Applications
Chemical and Pharmaceutical: Separating liquid mixtures, extracting valuable
compounds, and removing impurities.
Food and Beverage: Processing juices, oils, and dairy products.
Environmental: Treating wastewater, separating oil-water mixtures, and
preventing pollution.
Oil and Gas: Recovering oil from water or other liquids.

4. Conclusion
centrifugal separators play a crucial role in efficiently separating different phases
within liquid mixtures, making them essential in various industrial processes.

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