Rotary Vacuum Filter Technical Drawing
Rotary Vacuum Filter Process

Oliver-type rotary vacuum-drum filter.

A Rotary Vacuum Filter Drum consists of a drum rotating in a tub of liquid to be filtered.

The technique is well suited to slurries, and liquids with a high solid content, which could clog other forms of filter. The drum is pre-coated with a filter aid, typically of diatomaceous earth (DE) or Perlite. After pre-coat has been applied, the liquid to be filtered is sent to the tub below the drum. The drum rotates through the liquid and the vacuum sucks liquid and solids onto the drum pre-coat surface, the liquid portion is 'sucked' by the vacuum through the filter media to the internal portion of the drum, and the filtrate pumped away. The solids adhere to the outside of the drum, which then passes a knife, cutting off the solids and a small portion of the filter media to reveal a fresh media surface that will enter the liquid as the drum rotates. The knife advances automatically as the surface is removed.

Rotary vacuum drum filters rotate a tub of liquid to filter out any solid content. They can be used in a wide range of industries, from food separation to pharmaceutical manufacturing. Using a rotary vacuum drum can often remove the need for any further drying before disposing of solid materials. Rotary Drum Filter Demanding filtration processes across an array of market sectors can vary significantly, that’s why at Clear Edge, we offer an extensive range of products that provide unsurpassed process performance to maintain high levels of separation. The Rotary Vacuum Drum Filter is one of the oldest filtration methods and is still commonly used.

Rotary Table Vacuum Filter. The WesTech Rotary Table Vacuum Filter is a continuous filtration unit ideal for handling large flow rates. The horizontal orientation of the rotary table enables a thick filter cake to form on the surface.

Basic fundamentals[edit]

Rotary vacuum drum filter[edit]

Rotary vacuum drum filter (RVDF), patented in 1872,^[1] is one of the oldest filters used in the industrial liquid-solids separation. It offers a wide range of industrial processing flow sheets and provides a flexible application of dewatering, washing and/or clarification.

A rotary vacuum filter consists of a large rotating drum covered by a cloth. The drum is suspended on an axial over a trough containing liquid or solids slurry with approximately 50-80% of the screen area immersed in the slurry.

As the drum rotates into and out of the trough, the slurry is sucked on the surface of the cloth and rotated out of the liquid or solids suspension as a cake. When the cake is rotating out, it is dewatered in the drying zone. The cake is dry because the vacuum drum is continuously sucking the cake and taking the water out of it. At the final step of the separation, the cake is discharged as solids products and the drum rotates continuously to another separation cycle.

Range of application[edit]

Applications:

The rotary filter is most suitable for continuous operation on large quantities of slurry.
If the slurry contains considerable amount of solids, that is, in the range of 15-30%.
Examples of pharmaceutical applications include the collection of calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and starch.
The separation of the mycelia from the fermentation liquor in the manufacture of antibiotics.
block and instant yeast production.

Advantages and limitations[edit]

The advantages and limitations of rotary vacuum drum filter compared to other separation methods are:

Advantages[edit]

The rotary vacuum drum filter is a continuous and automatic operation, so the operating cost is low.
The variation of the drum speed rotating can be used to control the cake thickness.
The process can be easily modified (pre-coating filter process).
Can produce relatively clean product by adding a showering device.

Disadvantages[edit]

Due to the structure, the pressure difference is theoretically limited to atmospheric pressure (1 bar), and in practice somewhat lower.
Besides the drum, other accessories, for example, agitators and vacuum pump, are required.
The discharge cake contains residual moisture.
High energy consumption by the vacuum pump.

Designs available[edit]

Basically there are five types of discharge that are used for the rotary vacuum drum filter such as belt, scraper, roll, string and pre coat discharge.

Belt discharge[edit]

The filter cloth is washed on both sides with each drum rotation while discharging filter cakes. The products for this mechanism are usually sticky, wet and thin thus, requiring the aid of a discharge roll. Belt discharge is used if slurry with moderate solid concentration is used or if the slurry is easy to filter to produce cake formation or if a longer wear resistance is desired for the separation of the mentioned slurry.^[2]^[3]..

Scraper discharge[edit]

This is the standard drum filter discharge. A scraper blade, which serves to redirect the filter cake into the discharge chute, removes the cake from the filter cloth just before re-entering the vat. Mystery case files ravenhearst free. download full version crack. Scraper discharge is used if the desired separation requires high filtration rate or if heavy solid slurry is used or if the slurry is easy to filter to produce cake formation or if a longer wear resistance is desired for the separation of the mentioned slurry.^[2]^[3]

Roll discharge[edit]

It is a suitable discharge option for cakes that are thin and have the tendency to stick with one another. Filter cakes on the drum and discharged roll are pressed against one another to ensure that the thin filter cake is peeled or pulled from the drum. Removal of solids from the discharge roll is done via a knife blade. Roll discharged is used if the desired separation requires high filtration rate, if high solid content slurry is used or if the slurry is easy to filter to produce cake formation or if the discharged solid is sticky or mud-like cake.^[2]^[3]

String discharge[edit]

The filtrate cakes that are thin and fragile are usually the end products of this discharge lie. The materials are capable of changing phases, from solid to liquid, due to instability and disturbance. Two rollers guide the strings back to drum surface and at the same time separation of the filtrate cake occurs as they pass the rollers. Application of the string discharge can be seen at the pharmaceutical and starch industries. String discharge is used if the high solid concentration slurry is used or if the slurry is easy to filter to produce cake formation or if the discharged solid is fibrous, stringy or pulpy or if a longer wear resistance is desired for the separation of the mentioned slurry.

Pre coat discharge[edit]

Application of this discharge are usually seen where production of filter cakes that blind the filter media thoroughly and processes that have low solid concentration slurry. Pre coat discharge is used if slurry with very low solid concentration slurry is used that resulted in difficult cake formation or if the slurry is difficult to filter to produce cake .^[2]^[3]

Main process characteristics and assessment[edit]

Generally, the main process in a rotary vacuum drum filter is continuous filtration whereby solids are separated from liquids through a filter medium by a vacuum. The filter cloth is one of the most important components on a filter and is typically made of weaving polymer yarns. The best selection of cloth can increase the performance of filtration. Initially, slurry is pumped into the trough and as the drum rotates, it is partially submerged in the slurry. The vacuum draws liquid and air through the filt