DESCRIPTION

Technical Description

A disc centrifuge can be used to separate mixtures of immiscible liquids.

The emulsion to be separated is prepared in a stirred tank. Water/oil is recommended for use as the emulsion. A stirring machine with a speed control mixes the two liquid phases. In the course of the mixing process the oil droplets are distributed ever more finely in the water. When the droplet sizes are smaller the emulsion remains stable for longer.

A pump delivers the emulsion up into the centre of the rotating centrifuge. The emulsion is delivered by way of the distributor base via riser ducts into the disc intermediate chambers. The driving force of the separation process is centrifugal force. It ensures that the specifically heavier liquid droplets (water) are drawn more strongly towards the outside than the specifically lighter liquid droplets (oil). The settling distance and time are shortened by the disc arrangement set at an oblique angle to the field of acceleration. On the underside of the rotating discs the specifically heavier portion of the emulsion moves downwards and outwards. The lighter portion flows inwards on the top side of the discs. The separated liquids exit the centrifuge by way of outlets and can be collected in tanks.

The rotation speed of the centrifuge can be adjusted by way of a potentiometer. A valve is used to adjust the flow rate of the emulsion due to be separated. Various types of stirrer are available to perform the stirring. A photometer is recommended for analysis of the separated fractions.

The operating and service instructions form the basis for learning how to perform an extensive range of maintenance and inspection operations on the centrifuge.

The well-structured instructional material sets out the fundamentals and provides a step-by-step guide through the experiments.

Learning Objectives / Experiments

- production of stable emulsions with different types of stirrer
- learning the fundamental principle of disc centrifuges
- influence of rotation speed and feed flow rate on separation result
- characteristic of concentration of the light phase in the stirred tank over time (with photometer)
- startup/shutdown and operation of a disc centrifuge
- maintenance
- cleaning
- inspection