Introduction to Industrial Centrifuge Types

Industrial centrifuges are devices that use centrifugal force to separate, concentrate or purify solid-liquid, liquid-liquid or gas-solid mixtures. They are widely used in the fields of chemical industry, pharmaceutical industry, food industry, environmental protection, mining, etc. According to different classification standards, industrial centrifuges can be divided into the following categories:

Classification by separation principle

(1) Filter centrifuge

- Principle: Liquid passes through the filter medium (such as filter cloth, screen) under the action of centrifugal force, and solid particles are intercepted to form a filter cake.

- Features:

- Suitable for suspensions with larger particles and lower viscosity.

- The water content of solids after separation is low.

- Common types:

- Three-legged centrifuge: simple structure, suitable for small and medium-sized batch production (such as pharmaceutical industry, food industry).

- Horizontal scraper discharge centrifuge: automatic discharge, can be operated continuously or intermittently (such as chemical industry, mining industry).

- Plate centrifuge: closed design, suitable for occasions with high hygiene requirements (such as food and biological products).

(2) Sedimentation centrifuge

- Principle: Using density difference, solid particles settle to the drum wall under centrifugal force, and the liquid is discharged from the overflow port.

- Features:

- Suitable for fine particles, high-viscosity suspensions or emulsions.

- No filter media is required, but the solids may contain more water after separation.

- Common types:

- Horizontal centrifuge: continuous operation, large processing capacity (such as sewage treatment, oil drilling mud).

- Disc separator: high-speed rotation, separation of liquid-liquid or fine solid-liquid (such as milk degreasing, vegetable oil purification).

- Tubular centrifuge: ultra-high speed (15000-50000 rpm), used for high-precision separation (such as blood products, nanomaterials).

(3) Combined centrifuge

- Principle: Combine filtration and sedimentation functions (such as sedimentation before filtration).

- Application: multi-stage separation of complex materials (such as purification of chemical intermediates).

Classification by operation mode

- Intermittent centrifuge: intermittent operation (such as three-legged type, top suspension type), suitable for small-scale production.

- Continuous centrifuge: continuous feeding and discharging (such as horizontal screw type, disc type), suitable for large-scale industrial production.

Classification by drum structure

- Vertical centrifuge: the drum is installed vertically (such as tubular centrifuge), saving space, but requiring high stability. - Horizontal centrifuge: the drum is installed horizontally (such as horizontal screw centrifuge), suitable for high speed and heavy load.

Classification by speed

- Low-speed centrifuge: <3000 rpm, used for large particles or fragile materials (such as food processing).

- High-speed centrifuge: 3000-20000 rpm, commonly used in chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

- Ultra-high-speed centrifuge: >20000 rpm, used in laboratories or high-precision separation (such as biopharmaceuticals).

Classification by industry application

- Chemical industry: corrosion-resistant design (such as titanium drum) for processing corrosive materials such as acids and alkalis.

- Pharmaceutical industry: GMP-compliant, closed and sterile (such as cell culture fluid separation).

- Food industry: sanitary stainless steel (such as dairy and juice clarification).

- Environmental protection industry: large-capacity sludge dehydration (such as urban sewage treatment).

- Mining/metallurgy: high wear-resistant design (such as mineral processing, tailings separation).

Special centrifuges

- Gas centrifuge: used for isotope separation (such as uranium enrichment).

- Laboratory centrifuge: miniaturization and multifunctionality (such as differential centrifugation to separate organelles).

- Refrigerated centrifuge: operates in a low-temperature environment (such as biological sample protection).

Key factors for selection

1. Material properties: particle size, density difference, viscosity, corrosiveness.

2. Separation requirements: solid phase water content, liquid phase clarity, processing volume.

3. Process conditions: temperature, pressure, hygiene level (such as food grade certification).

4. Energy consumption and maintenance: continuous operation stability, replacement cost of wearing parts.

What type of industrial centrifuge do you need? Please contact me.