HAUS Decanter Centrifuge - How It Works

The centrifuge comprises a rotating assembly driven by a large electric motor mounted in a secure foundation frame, bolted to the ground through vibration dampers. The rotating assembly itself has two main components: the outer bowl and a screw conveyor. When the centrifuge is run up to operating speed the main drive motor turns the outer bowl at typically 3,000 r.p.m. A secondary motor is connected to the screw conveyor, the scroll, via cyclo-gearbox. The produces a differential speed between the outer bowl and the scroll of between 3 and 20 r.p.m. and has the effect of providing a conveying action inside the rotating assembly.

When the centrifuge is up to speed the sludge, a mixture of solids and liquids, is pumped into centrifuge by an external pump through a feed tube into the feed chamber. The effect of centrifugal forces cause the solids to move towards the outside of the bowl and a separation of solids and liquids occurs. the conveying action of the scroll moves the solids towards the steep angle of the bowl where they are ejected through a number of discharge ports and fall into a collecting container under gravity. The liquid phase, runs over the weir plates at the other end of the rotating assembly and collected in a tank and pumped away.

This is shown clearly in the video simulation which is available and can be opened in a new window alongside this explanation.