Centrifuge disk-stack

Figure 9.3 Two major types of centrifuges, (a) Tubular-bowl centrifuge (b) disk-stack centrifuge.

A disk-stack centrifuge is used for cell harvesting. A high-pressure ho-mogenizer is utilized to break the cells and release the inclusion bodies. These inclusion bodies are recovered in another disk-stack centrifuge. The inclusion bodies are then solubilized in a well-mixed reactor with urea. This chaotropic agent dissolves the denatured protein. A filter is used to remove the fine particles such as biomass, debris, and inclusion bodies. 

The main part of the disk-stack centrifuge is shown schematically in Figure 9.3b. The instrument consists of a stack of conical sheets which rotates on the vertical shaft, with the clearances between the cones being as small as 0.3 mm. The feed is supplied near the bottom center, and passes up through the matching holes in the cones (the liquid paths are shown in Figure 9.3b). The solid particles or... 

Either Decanter centrifuge, disk-stack centrifuge, bowl centrifuge, Centritech centrifuge, cyclone, hydroclone... 

All particles of size tp > Pmax will be captured in the device. Thus the grade efficiency function for a disk-stack centrifuge does not depend on the channel height 2b but instead depends on the flow rate per channel. Also, the larger the value of particle capture efficiency E for particles of a particular size is equal to the grade efficiency Gritp) for that particle size. 

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