Scale-up of Select Solid-Liquid Separation Technologies

The range of solid-liquid separation technologies available to choose from when trying to find the best solution can seem daunting. The proper selection and design of technology involves analyzing process integration (e.g. batch or continuous), separation mechanism (mechanical and/or thermal), required performance (solids and liquid quality), capacity, capital and installed cost, reliability, space constraints, required operating personnel, environmental restrictions, etc. The scale-up of equipment for many applications is usually based on laboratory and/or pilot testing with representative sample slurries.

This poster will cover laboratory testing and pilot testing practices used to scale-up for sedimenting centrifuges, filtering centrifuges, filter press, belt press, pressure and vacuum filters, and a selection of dryers including paddle, drum, plate, helix and fluidized bed. Laboratory testing covered consists in first determining physical properties of the slurry, then chemical conditioning requirements and finally performing a simulation of appropriate separation technology based on the results from the previous tests. In some applications, scale-up can be done using results from a simulation with bench scale equipment; in others, a test with pilot equipment is recommended.