Is disc centrifuge same as decanter centrifuge?

Disc centrifuge and decanter centrifuge are two different types of centrifugal separation equipment, they have significant differences in structure, working principle, scope of application and separation effect.

Disc centrifuge

• Structure: disc centrifuge is mainly composed of drum, disc, center tube and so on. The discs are stacked at certain intervals inside the drum to form multiple separation channels.
• Working principle: when the suspension under the action of the dynamic pressure head, through the center tube into the gap between the high-speed rotation of the discs, it generates inertial centrifugal force. Solid particles of greater density under the action of centrifugal force to the lower surface of the upper disc movement, and then under the action of centrifugal force is thrown outward along the lower surface of the disc to the periphery of the rotor down. The liquid with small density is pushed by the subsequent liquid to flow to the center of the rotor along the gap channel of the discs, and then rises along the central axis and is discharged from the casing to achieve the purpose of separation.

Decanter centrifuge

• Structure: Decanter centrifuge is mainly composed of drum, screw conveyor, differential and other parts. The drum and screw conveyor rotate in the same direction at a certain differential speed.
• Working principle: the material is continuously introduced into the inner cylinder of the feeding screw from the feeding pipe, and then accelerated into the drum. Under the action of centrifugal force field, the heavier solids are deposited on the wall of the drum to form a slag layer. Screw conveyor will deposit the solid phase continuously pushed to the cone end of the drum, through the slag discharge port out of the machine. The lighter liquid-phase material forms the inner liquid ring, which continuously overflows out of the drum from the overflow port at the big end of the drum and is discharged out of the machine through the liquid discharge port.

Disc centrifuge

• It is suitable for separating mixed liquids with solid particle size of 0.1~300μm.
• The solid content of the material in the liquid varies according to different models, but it is usually suitable for mixed liquids with low solid content.
• Commonly used in applications requiring high clarity, such as clarification of fruit wines in beverage processing.

Decanter centrifuge

• Suitable for separating mixed liquids with solid particle size greater than 0.005mm.
• The range of solid content in the material liquid is wide, usually 2%~40%.
• Widely used in chemical, light industry, pharmaceutical, food, environmental protection and other industries, especially for sludge dewatering, particle size classification and liquid phase clarification and other occasions.

Disc centrifuge

• The light liquid after separation is clear and transparent, suitable for occasions with high requirements for clarification.
• It can realize continuous or intermittent operation, but is usually used for intermittent operation to obtain better separation effect.

Decanter centrifuge

• The separated liquid phase still contains a small amount of solids, but the solid phase dehydration effect is better.
• Can realize continuous automatic operation, suitable for large-scale production occasions.

• Degree of automation: decanter centrifuge usually has a higher degree of automation, can realize fully automatic control and continuous operation; while the disc centrifuge although there are also automated models, but the overall degree of automation may be slightly inferior to the decanter centrifuge.
• Processing capacity: decanter centrifuge due to the compact structure, continuous operation and other characteristics, usually has a larger processing capacity; while the disc centrifuge is more suitable for processing smaller occasions.

In summary, there are significant differences between disc centrifuges and decanter centrifuges in terms of structure, working principle, scope of application and separation effect. When choosing which centrifuge to use, you need to consider the specific material characteristics, separation requirements and production scale and other factors.