Operational Information

Purifiers and Clarifiers

Separation
Separation as a means of removing impurities from a
fuel can be undertaken by means of gravity in a
settling tank or by means of centrifuging the fuel.
Both methods work on the same principles that by
subjecting the fuel to a constant force, the denser
components of the fuel i.e water and dirt will be
separated from the lighter components i.e. the fuel
itself.
Gravity acting on the fuel as it passes slowly through
the tank will separate the denser components from
the fuel where they will accumulate at the bottom of
the tank. The contaminants can then be remove by
sludging the tank.



Centrifuging
Centrifuging is the process by which the effects of gravity
can be amplified by the use of centrifugal force to the extent
that the separation process becomes rapid and continuous.
Centrifuges work by rapidly spinning a bowl containing the
liquid, thus producing the required centrifugal force to
produce separation
The principle of operation of the centrifuge is simple. When
a bowl containing impure fuel is rotated, centrifugal forces
will throw any item with density greater than the fuel oil
density (solids and free water) to the periphery of the bowl

Centrifugal separators used for the separation of two liquids
of different densities (fuel and water) are known as purifiers
and those used for separating solid impurities are known as
clarifiers. Purifiers will also remove some solids and
clarifiers will also remove small quantities of water.





Clarifier
The addition of an inlet and an outlet connection forms a simple
clarifier. Rotational speeds vary according to designs and are of the
order of 7,000 to 9,000 rpm. Efficiency is increased by the inclusion of
a number of discs (up to 150) that increase the surface area and thus
help separation. Discs are separated at a distance of 0.5-0.6 mm. After
passing down the central passage, the untreated oil is carried by
centrifugal forces towards the periphery of the bowl and then passes up
through the disc stack. Here is where the actual separation takes place,
in the channel formed between two discs. Two forces act on each solid
or liquid particle. The particle is pushed upwards with the oil stream
towards the centre while the centrifugal force directs it to the periphery.
The residual force on denser particles (impurities) will drive them
towards the periphery, while the less dense particles (oil) will be
directed towards the centre of the bowl and raise to the outlet
connection.



Purifier
When a centrifuge is set up as a purifier, a second outlet pipe is used
for discharging water as shown. In the fuel oil purifier, the untreated
fuel contains a mixture of oil, solids and water, which the centrifuge
separates into three layers. While in operation, a quantity of oil
remains in the bowl to form a complete seal around the underside of
the top disc and, because of the density difference, confines the oil
within the outside diameter of the top disc. As marine fuel oil
normally contains a small quantity of water, it is necessary to prime
the bowl each time that it is run, otherwise all the oil will pass over
the water outlet side to waste. The water outlet is at greater radius
than that of the fuel. Within the water outlet there is a gravity disc,
which controls the radial position of the fuel water interface
A set of gravity discs is supplied with each machine and the
optimum size to be fitted depends on the density of the untreated oil.
When the fuel centrifuge is operating, particulate matter will
accumulate on the walls of the bowl. If the centrifuge is set as a
clarifier, the particulate matter will be a combination of water and
solid material. If it is set as a purifier, the free water is continuously
discharged, therefore, the particulate matter will consist of solid
material. In older machines it is necessary to stop the centrifuge to
manually clean the bowl and disc stack, however, the majority of
machines today can discharge the bowl contents while the centrifuge
is running.