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Alfa Laval has been at the forefront in this field for well
over 110 years which is why disc stack separators
from Alfa Laval perform this crucial separation function
exceptionally well.
Working principles
A brief general explanation of how disc stack separators work
Amount of solids
Continuous separation
Virtually all branches of industry need
to separate different liquid and solids at
some point in their manufacturing
processes. Alfa Laval has well over a 40%
century of experience in meeting these Decanter
requirements using different kinds of centrifuges
centrifuge technology. 30%
How a disc stack separator works Inserting special plates (the disc
A disc stack separator separates solids stack) provides additional surface
and one or two liquid phases from settling area, which contributes to
each other in one single continuous speeding up the separation process
process, using extremely high dramatically. It is the particular
centrifugal forces. configuration, shape and design of
these plates that make it possible for a
When the denser solids are subjected disc stack separator to undertake the
to such forces, they are forced continuous separation of a wide range
outwards against the rotating bowl of different solids from either one or
wall, while the less dense liquid phases two liquids.
form concentric inner layers.
The concentrated solids phase formed
The area where these two different by the particles can be removed
liquid phases meet is called the continuously, intermittently or manually,
interface position. This can be easily depending on separator type and the
varied in order to ensure that the amount of solids involved in the
separation takes place with maximum specific application.
efficiency.
Alfa Laval disc stack separator technology 5
The whole is the sum of parts
Advanced technology involves many forms of specialist know-how
G Materials technology
G Ancillary technologies
Application examples
power stations is generated with the help of disc stack phase liquid
separators from Alfa Laval. We also help industry in general and To achieve maximum cleanliness in conjunction with the
the oil and gas sector in particular to purify wastewater and cleaning of deckdrain and other water on offshore platforms,
industrial fluids, and to handle slop oil. The Processes producing Alfa Laval disc stack separators remove oily contaminants
bio-diesel fuel use disc stack separators from our company. with a high degree of effectiveness. This means that the
Notable challenges in the field of energy and environmental water can be safely returned to the sea with no damage to
engineering include: the environment.
G Removing heavy phase liquids/fine solids from a light G Breaking up tight oil/water emulsions stabilized with
phase liquid particles
In gas turbine fuel treatment, Alfa Laval disc stack separators Alfa Laval disc stack separator equipment is able to separate
perform a key role in conditioning gas turbine fuels by widely ranging emulsified mixtures of oil, water and solids
removing water, salt and solids to prevent these damaging from oil platforms, refineries and other sources. For slop oil,
the turbine. This often involves removing small amounts of this makes it possible to reclaim the oil at the same time as
heavy phase liquids and fine solids from a light phase liquid, eliminating a potential environmental hazard.
in order to achieve the required high degree of purity.
G Bio-diesel production
The chemical process to convert vegetable oils from raw
material such as rape seed into diesel fuel use disc stack
separators in several steps, separating the fuel from
methanol or water.
10 Alfa Laval
Corporate
disc stack
Brochure
separator
12 technology
Process industry G Sorting abrasive particles by size
Alfa Laval helps process industry customers to optimize their Alfa Laval equipment helps manufacturers of kaolin-based
performance and deal with their separation process paper coating material clean and classify the kaolin in one
challenges across a wide range of industries. Alfa Laval single process, by sorting it on the basis of particle size.
know-how, combined with our extensive range of
equipment, serves industries that include chemicals, Alfa Laval disc stack separators are available with a special
petrochemicals, steel, paper, sugar and starch. design that provides a high degree of resistance to the
Notable challenges in the process industry field include: abrasion caused by kaolin. This results in equipment that is
highly reliable, providing customers with low service
G Ensuring clean oil additives requirements that can be a major advantage in the often-
In the production of oil additives, Alfa Laval disc stack remote locations of kaolin mines.
separators remove any excess fine solids such as metal
salts, lime, etc. that might be present. G Improving equipment service life
Disc stack separators from Alfa Laval often play a key role in
With disc stack separator units capable of running at customers processes in a rather indirect way.
temperatures in excess of 200C, Alfa Laval provides
customers with a continuous, sealed process that replaces Separating out water and other impurities and removing
traditional filters. This makes it possible to avoid filter losses metal particles from a wide variety of oils and lubricants
and the operating costs and consumables associated with means that process motors, compressors, hydraulics,
filter equipment and there are no hazardous wastes production lines, etc. are more reliable and have an
for deposit. extended service life. This kind of treatment can either by
done continuously or by using mobile hook-up solutions.
G Producing sensitive vaccines and antibodies under G Undertaking a huge range of different cell separation
sterile conditions tasks
There have been radical developments in new vaccines for Many different microbial cells are used in the production of
many different diseases and ailments, from hepatitis and antibiotics and other medicines. The particular type of
influenza to snake bites. product (intracellular, extracellular or inclusion body), the
characteristics of each particular organism (bacteria, yeast,
Alfa Laval provides disc stack separators that make it mycelium, etc.), the required flow rates, the need for
possible to turn these research developments into absolute sterility and the need for full containment are all
commercially viable production by meeting the challenge of important considerations when a customer needs to decide
making the equipment fully contained, easy to sterilize and on a specific separator solution.
completely safe for the staff supervising the process.
Alfa Laval has the both the experience and the technical
Antibodies are also very difficult to separate and recover. Alfa know-how to meet all customer needs for a huge range of
Lavals unparalleled understanding of fluid dynamics paves different cell separation tasks, providing both intermittent and
the way to unprecedented results in this delicate field, where continuous solids discharge using either disc stack separator
hygiene and sterility are paramount. or decanter centrifuges.
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