Decanters

What is a decanter in chemical engineering?

When an industrial application requires the separation of solids, gases and liquids from a mixture in phases, industrial decanters are effective. A decanter can separate solids from a slurry, continuously producing high-quality solid products for further processing. In chemical engineering, decanters rely on centrifugal force to separate solids. The high-rotational speed of centrifuges separates components of different densities. That means the components with a higher density fall to the bottom of the mixture. Combining the decanter and centrifuge increases the settling time for industrial components. The role of a decanter is to reduce the velocity of the inlet liquid streams to ensure the mixture has sufficient time to separate. Decanters are clarifiers useful in treating mixtures with high solid content, but they can also separate liquids with different densities.

What are the applications of decanters in chemical engineering?

An industrial decanter continuously separates large amounts of solids from liquids. Hence, it has diverse applications in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries. For instance, decanters in chemical engineering are used to wash and dry various solids, like polystyrene beads, or concentrate solids and clarify liquids. Decanters can be adapted for sludge dewatering and water treatment. For an industrial decanter to perform the desired function, it needs adjustments or the addition of components to ensure that the process delivers high-quality products. The conveyor speed and pond depth can be adjusted to improve the quality of the products. In the food industry, decanters are used in wine clarification and the production of plant oils like vegetable or olive oil.

Explore our collection of industrial decanters available at Foeth.