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CentrifugalSludgeDewatering
Wallace W.-F. Leung
Baker Process,1 00 Neponset St., S. Walpole, Mass 02071-9103, USA. Tel: +l 508 668
0400; Fax: +l 508 668 6855; E-mail: wallace.leung@bakerhughes.com
In dewatering of compactible sludges to high dryness, the solid-bowl decanter centrifuge is operated
with the annular volume between the conveyor hub and the bowl wall packed almost completely with cake
solids.The torque required to maintain the conveyor rotating at differential speed with respect to the bowl
can be determined for a given type of sludge from the “effective frictional coefficient”, which for munici-
pal and industrial sludges, is typically in the range between 0.5 and lS.The back-drive torque, which sus-
tains the conveyor under a small differential speed with respect to the rotating bowl, is used to convey the
cake. Concurrently applying a churning action on the cake allows the moisture in the interstitial voids of
the cake to be expressed out to the cake surface away from the bowl wall. Higher torque is a consequence
of either, or a combination of, higher operating centrifugal gravity, higher solids throughput, thicker cake
from lower differential speed, longer transport distance from a large length-to-diameter decanter, and
drier cake. The decanter can be operated either under torque control, differential-speed control, or a
hybrid algorithm involving both variables. A high-solids decanter mimics a rheometer with continuous
inflow and outflow of test fluid material wherein the rheological properties are determined from the
torque-speed measurements.
decanter centrifuge’. 2. 3 consists of a bowl and a conveyor, the conveyor hub and the bowi wall. This is illustrated in Figure 1 a.
23 24 25 26 27 :8
%Ca ke Solids
Liquid I Figure 2a: Specific Power Consumption versus Cake Solids
0-c : : : : : : : : : I : iN
I
%w- 25 26 27 28 29 3L3’1& 3131
I 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 321
(1)
Sludge in Plant 6, and Comparison with Raw Mixed Sludge in Plant A (6.8-9.1 cum/h)
(46lJmm diameter Decanter) 1
0.9
when the machine is operated under lower differential speed. .
0.8
Liquid from the cake interstitial spaces percolates upward against 0.7 . .
G-force to the cake surface. The “expression” of liquid depends on 0.6 - .
the G-force, time and the cake permeability(inverse of the cake I
resistance), which can be further reduced when the cake is under
compaction and consolidation.
In transporting a cake undergoing continuous compaction in a
pool of liquid, the torque to maintain the conveyor at a differential
speed with respect to the bowl can still be very demanding, despite
some relief from the buoyancy of the liquid pool. The cake solid
increases by compaction and expression as it is being transported 25 30 35 40 45
toward the conical beach. The cake follows a complicated cork- % Cake Solids
screw motion as it is transported along the helical channel formed
by adjacent blades from the cylinder to the conical beach, see Figure 4a: 460mm Diameter Decanter, Plant C
Figure 1a. The primary resistance to the cake transport is Coulomb
friction between the cake and the face of the conveyor blades. (6.8-9.1 cum/h)
1
Another resistance is the longitudinal component of the G-force
with which the cake has to overcome as it moves from the large 0.9 . n )
~ 0.8 B . . I
beach toward cake discharge. An order of magnitude estimate
0.7
reveals that the second resistance is much less as compared to
the first. Also, the latter is further alleviated by the hydraulic force 0.6
when a dip weir’, or a baffle, is used providing a U-tube effect with Y 0.5
a differential liquid head across the two legs formed across the 0.4
weir/baffle. In this paper, the focus will be on the first resistance
0.3
that is by far the dominating cake transport resistance.
It is important to be able to determine the conveyance torque 0.2
that provides a good indication of the cake dryness. Figure 1 b, 0.1
reproduced from Reference 1, shows a plot of torque versus cake
solids confirming a strong correlation between these two vari- I O 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37
ables. Consequently, high-solids decanters operate with higher
torque and drier cake. % Cake Solids
T-A STATES
where Ap=p,-pL with ps the cake density and pL the liquid den-
sity. For bio-solids sludge, the former is about 1010-l 100 kg/m3, Figure 6 shows a plot of T versus A for Plant F delineating the
whereas the latter which is predominantly water is at 1000 kg/m3 possible operating “conditions” or “states” for a dewatering
decanter. The plot demonstrates an inverse relationship
between T and A, in accord with the foregoing discussion and
TESTS
the functional relationships predicted by Equation 3. For a given
A series of tests were conducted at a sewage plant, Plant A, cake solids rate, the cake height increases at lower differential
over a 3-month period on a raw mixed sludge with 48% primary speed yielding high conveyance torque; while the cake height
and 52% waste activated sludge using a 460.mm pilot high- decreases at higher differential conveyance speed resulting in
solids decanter operating under three different pools - Pools l- low torque. The results Figures 2a, 2b, 3, 4a-c, 5 can all be re-
3; a range of feed rates between 30-70 gpm (6.8-16 mzih); and plotted in form of T versus A, validating this inverse relationship.
operating G-force at 2500 and 30009, respectively. Two convey- However, by plotting the results as a product of T and A, or bet-
or geometries (S and X conveyors) were tested with no appre- ter still I where the rheological property can be determined,
ciable difference between the two based on the measured fric- torque can be predicted for a given differential speed, G and
tional coefficient. The specific power consumption and the decanter geometry.
effective frictional coefficient are both plotted in Figures 2a and
2b, respectively. Both the specific power consumption and the
effective frictional coefficient I both increase with cake solids. 1
increases only moderately from 0.4 at 24% to 0.6 at 30+%. After El50 1
the cake solid has reached 30-32%, it rises sharply from 0.6 to i%
-140 -
1.2. It is also perceivable that for certain cakes, I rises very w
steeply by several folds after a critical cake dryness is reached 5130 -
corresponding to a dramatic change of the cake physical rheo- 3120 -
logical behaviour. It is more appropriate to use the effective fric-
El10 -
tional coefficient given that it is normalized using both G and the 11 4 cum/h
TS-5 0%
length scale. 595 kg/h
In sewage Plant B, the test was carried out with anaerobic 290
digested sludge with some fines being re-circulated back to the g BO-
headwork. The pilot machine that has the S-conveyor design was
used in the tests. As shown in Figure 3, the I value varies from 0.6 G* 70 -
TS=5 3%
to 1 .I while the cake solid increases from 24% to 28%. Obviously, 378 kg/h
the anaerobic digested sludge is a more difficult to dewater sludge I I I I I I I 1 I
as the coarse materials have broken down to finer materials dur- ;r 0 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ing digestion.
In sewage Plant C, a 460-mm diameter high-solids decanter DIFFERENTIAL SPEED, RPM
was tested with average 1 recorded at 0.44. As shown in Figure Figure 6: Plant F, Torque versus Differential Speed
tion time to ensure a dry cake. However, for precautionary purpos-
es, the maximum torque level should be set such that when the
machine reaches this level, a by-pass of feed. for example, should
be activated. In Figure 7, with the differential control mode
deployed the operating equilibrium is point 6 on curve 1; and this
equilibrium shifts to point B’ on curve 2 at higher G and/or solids
rate. In all cases, the resultant torque value needs to be below the
safe torque limit.
I%,, ‘Tl \ s
,
A=-F- //
(4) A=\/IIJ2K5.3).
-!- I +L5.3175. 3600)(2500)(36)(0.5)(1 ‘2X1)(30
m)- lJ!?L
(2N5.3) I
= 4.75RPM
-__
Torque is an indirect measure of the solids thickness in the
decanter. Higher torque assures higher compaction stress Gh act-
ing on the cake.. The resulting differential speed can be predicted T = k, + /+:A = 80+(5.3)(4.75)= 105h
from Equation 4. The torque control mode provides a reliable
means of assuring dry cake without torquing-out the machine
when the operating torque is set reasonably below the maximum For this example, the hydraulic backdrive is such that 1 bar = 281
allowable limit. In Figure 7, this is illustrated by point A on operat- in-lb,, the torque is 29,554 in-lb, or 3,340 N-m.
ing curve 1 corresponding to given G and solids rate, or by point
A’ on curve 2 under higher G, and/or higher solids rate. It is evi- CONCLUSIONS
dent that for the same operating set torque, when G or solids rate
increases the A needs to be increased as well so as to maintain In conclusion, a high-solids decanter can be modeled as a large
torque constant. rheometer. Based on this, the behavior of conveyance torque with
respect to the other operating variables can be determined.
(ii) Differential Control (A=Ao) Specifically, the effective frictional coefficient, determined for the
model for numerous waste sludges using different size high-solids
CL,,,, 111>< decanters of various designs and different geometric sizes, falls in
T=-- the nominal range of 0.5-l .5. By stipulating a torque-differential
A,, (5) speed control mode, both quantities can be determined under
quasi-equilibrium once the machine T-A operating curve, or the I
Differential control is used when the torque fluctuates erratically value together with the appropriate operating conditions, are
with the consequence of unstable operation with periodical dis- known. Conversely, torque can be predicted for a given differential
charge of wet cake. Under such conditions, the differential control speed, G, and solids throughput provided the I value is known for
mode is adopted to prolong and simultaneously control the reten- a given sludge.
NOMENCLATURE: SPECIAL SYMBOL:
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