Disc Stack Centrifuge

The disc stack centrifuge is a type of vertical centrifuge. The bowl is mounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft and is driven at high speed by a motor through a transmission system.

Inside the bowl is a stack of conical disc-shaped components—called discs—arranged closely together with small gaps between them. The suspension (or emulsion) is introduced into the bowl through a feed pipe located at the center. As the liquid flows through the narrow spaces between the discs, solid particles (or droplets) settle onto the surface of the discs under the action of centrifugal force, forming a sludge layer (or a separated liquid layer). These solids slide along the disc surfaces and move outward to the largest diameter area of the bowl, where they accumulate. The separated liquid is discharged from the bowl through an outlet.

The purpose of the discs is to shorten the settling distance of solids (or droplets) and to increase the sedimentation area within the bowl, thus greatly enhancing the separation efficiency and capacity of the centrifuge.

The accumulated solids can be removed manually after shutdown by disassembling the bowl or automatically discharged during operation through a solids discharge mechanism.

The disc stack centrifuge can perform two main operations:

• Liquid-solid separation, also known as clarification, for treating low-concentration suspensions.

• Liquid-liquid (or liquid-liquid-solid) separation, for emulsions, known as separation.

Disc centrifuges can operate under sealed, high-temperature, low-temperature, pressurized, or vacuum conditions. They are widely used in applications such as cream extraction from milk, purification of fruit juice, beer, edible and industrial oils (e.g., transformer oil), yeast concentration, and serum extraction from animal plasma.