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.

Operational Information
Purifiers and Clarifiers

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.