| Engineering Aspects in Solid Liquid Separation |
Solid-Liquid Separation is a major unit operation that exists in almost every
flowscheme related to the chemical process industries, ore beneficiation,
pharmaceutics, food or water and waste treatment. The separation techniques are
very diverse and the objective of this site is to provide a platform for plant
and design engineers, research personnel and students to discuss practices,
experiences and new developments in this fascinating unit operation.
The site is still under construction and so far the following sections have
been completed:
- Vacuum Filters - the entire section.
- Pressure Filters - the entire section.
- Thickeners - the section on Conventional Thickeners and High-Rate
Thickeners
Sections that will be soon added:
- Lamella - to the Thickeners section
- Clarifiers - the sections on Conventional and Sludge Blanket Clarifiers
The site, when completed, will review the following topics:
- Filtration by
vacuum and
pressure filters.
- Polishing by vacuum
precoat filters and
pressure filters.
- Centrifugation by filtering and sedimenting centrifuges.
- Sedimentation by conventional, storage and high-rate thickeners .
- Clarification by conventional, solids-contact and sludge-blanket
clarifiers.
- Ancillary equipment, vacuum pumps, filtrate pumps, vacuum receivers,
moisture traps
This site does not cover separation methods such as screening, hydrocycloning,
froth flotation and dissolved-air flotation due to my limited experience in
these applications.
Other related subjects that will be discussed are:
- Coagulation and flocculation by bridging polymers.
- Moisture reduction by wetting agents.
- Particle analysis and its influence on performance.
- Defining a Relative Filtration Index during the research phase.
- Establishing diminishing returns on wash efficiencies and drying.
- Filtering medium and its selection.
- Evaluating long-term effects on separation rates.
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