Filtration feed slurry

The disk filter is similar to the dmm in operation, but filtration is conducted using a series of large diameter filter disks that carry the filter medium on both sides of the disk. They are connected to the main horizontal shaft and partly immersed in the feed slurry. The central shaft is connected by a set of valves which serve to provide vacuum and air as in dmm filters. As the disk sections submerge during rotation, vacuum is appHed to form a cake on both sides of the disk. The cycle of operation is similar to that in a dmm filter. One unit can have as many as 12 disks of up to 5-m diameter. Disk filters, both compact and cost effective, are used extensively in the iron ore industry to dewater magnetite concentrates. 

Vacuum or Pressure The vast majority of all continuous filters use vacuum to provide the driving force for filtration. However, if the feed slurry contains a highly volatile hquid phase, or if it is hot, saturated, and/or near the atmospheric pressure boiling point, the use of pressure for the driving force may be required. Pressure filtration might also be used where the required cake moisture content is lower than that obtainable with vacuum. 

Feed Slurry Temperature Temperature can be both an aid and a limitation. As temperature of the feed slurry is increased, the viscosity of the hquid phase is decreased, causing an increase in filtration rate and a decrease in cake moisture content. The limit to the benefits of increased temperature occurs when the vapor pressure of the hquid phase starts to materially reduce the allowable vacuum. If the hquid phase is permitted to flash within the filter internals, various undesired resiilts may ensue disruption in cake formation adjacent to the medium, scale deposit on the filter internals, a sharp rise in pressure drop within the filter drainage passages due to increased vapor flow, or decreased vacuum pump capacity. In most cases, the vacuum system should be designed so that the liquid phase does not boil. 

In some special cases, steam filtration can be used to gain the advantages ot temperature without having to heat the feed slurry. 

Once the precoating stage is completed the process slurry is pumped into the filter, the forming cake is retained on the plates and the filtrate flows to further processing. When the solids are fine and slow to filter a body-aid is added to the feed slurry in order to enhance cake permeability. However, it should be kept in mind that the addition of body-aid increases the solids concentration in the feed so it occupies additional volume between the plates and increases the amount of cake for disposal. Likewise, for all those applications when the cake is the product, precoat and filter-aid may not be used since they mix and discharge together with the cake. 

Relate the filter cake deposited per unit volume of clear filtrate collected r to feed slurry concentration, w. 

The capacity of filtration centrifuges is very dependent on the solids concentration in the feed. For example, at 10 per cent feed slurry concentration 9 kg of liquid will be centrifuged for every 1 kg of solids separated whereas with a 50 per cent solids concentration the quantity will be less than 1 kg. For dilute slurries it is well worth considering using some form of pre-concentration such as gravity sedimentation or a hydrocyclone. 

The concentration of solids in the slurry in the feed vessel to the filter at any time can be calculated by noting that the volumetric rate of feed of slurry must be equal to the rate at which filtrate leaves the vessel. For a rate of flow of filtrate of dV/dt out of the filter, the rate of flow of slurry into the vessel must also be dV/dr and the corresponding influx of solids is (1 — e0) dV/dt, where (1 — e0) is the volume fraction of solids in the feed slurry. At any time f, the volume of solids in the vessel is V(1 — ev), where V is its volume and (1 — ev) is the volume fraction of solids at that time. Thus a material balance on the solids gives ... 

Vacuum filtration has many advantages, not the least being the fact that the feed slurry, often containing abrasive solids in a corrosive liquid, can be delivered by gravity flow or by low pressure pumps which need only to overcome the resistance in the feed pipework. In addition, vacuum filtration equipment does not have to withstand high pressures... 

Gravity filters are seldom used in the process industries because they offer low filtration rates, however, simple Nutsch filters are sometimes found in the pharmaceutical industry at pilot scale. The Nutsch filter is a tank with a perforated base on which a filter cloth can be supported. The feed slurry liquid filters through the cake and cloth under its own weight. Although these units are low cost, they are labor intensive to operate, cannot be contained for protection of the product or the operator, and are slow. 

Continuous addition of filter aid (body feeding) is accomplished either by feeding filter aid as a slurry or by dry feeding. Slurry feeding is usually done with plunger or diaphragm pumps. If filtration is a batch process, the filter aid can be added directly to the batch. 

In some special cases, steam filtration can be used to gain the advantages of temperature without having to heat the feed slurry. Where applicable, dry steam is passed through the deliquored cake to raise the temperature of the residual moisture, reduce its viscosity, and lower its content. The final dmng or cooling period which follows steam filtration uses the residuaf heat left in the cake to evaporate some additional moisture. 

In a top-feed filter test, the filter cake will contain all of the solids, provided they are all emptied from the sample container. The danger in this type of test is that the solids will stratify, particularly if the c e formation time is prolonged. Close examination of the filter cake will indicate whether or not this has happened. If there has been significant stratification, the feed slurry should be modified by thickening and/or flocculation in order to increase the dry solids filtration rate and permit formation of a homogeneous cake. Another possibility, but not necessarily the best, is to use a thinner, but still dischargeable, cake to avoid stratification. 

During filtration, body feed, or the continuous addition of filter aid, can help prevenr blinding of the suspended solids on the precoat. The body feed surrounds the suspended solids to provide flow around them. The body feed slurry of filter aid and oil is injected into the system prior to the filter. The suspended solids are ridged or deformable and can elongate under pressure to extrude through the filter cake and slow or block the product flow. Body feed coats the deformed solids, allowing them to be retained on the filter cake. 

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