Kaolin Slurry, a Documented Case Study

How a Self-Cleaning Filtration Unit Handled the
Hard-to-Filter Material at a Lower Cost

Kaolin slurry's particle configuration makes it difficult filter, i.e. its structural characteristics can vary with the regional sources of the mineral, which can cause fluctuations in throughput and pressure drop through the screen.

This article outlines how the Ronningen-Petter DCF self-cleaning filter was able to tackle this difficult material, all at a lower cost!

A Ronningen-Petter® DCF-1600 four station multiplex, self-cleaning filter system from Ronningen-Petter has successfully replaced traditional vibrating gravity screens in a kaolin slurry processing application.

The DCF-1600 filtration system was installed not only to cope with the many screening problems associated with kaolin slurry filtration, but also to match the increased product flow following an upgrade of the process that doubled plant output.

Kaolin slurry's particle configuration makes it difficult filter, i.e. its structural characteristics can vary with the regional sources of the mineral, which can cause fluctuations in throughput and pressure drop through the screen.

The DCF-1600 system is designed to operate at pressures up to 10.5 bar, which provides a significant safety margin for any operational variations. Its slotted, wedge wire screen can accommodate the full range of particle sizes present in the kaolin slurry, and can provide retention of particles ranging in size from 15 microns to 1125 microns.

The DCF-1600 system's screens are cleaned by a disc, which moves up and down the filter screen parallel to the liquid flow, and mechanically scrapes off the debris in a continuous operation that does not interrupt production. The waste purged from the filter is highly concentrated.

The system also requires minimum maintenance because it does not require motor repairs, and periodic screen replacement and adjustment maintenance is significantly less than with the original vibrating screens. In addition the operator does not need to be continually on hand to monitor the filtration process. The differential pressure across the filter, which provides a good indication of the filter performance, can also be automatically monitored.

According to RPA, the installation of the DCF-1600 filtration system has resulted in increased throughput, high product quality, reduced labor costs and maintenance and downtime, and a reduction in floor space requirement of 70%.

--by Ask Filter Man

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