TITLE

Disc Bowl Centrifuge

OBJECTIVES

 To understand disc bowl centrifuge working principle.

 To demonstrate the separation of heavy phase liquid.
 To demonstrate the effect of product type as throughput.
 To calculate the separation frequency.

INTRODUCTION

Centrifugal separators are commonly used in the separation of solids from

liquid or liquid from liquid with the application of principle of centrifugal force.
Liquid-liquid centrifuge involves the separation of two liquids with different
densities by spinning at relatively high speeds. The higher magnitude of centrifugal
force produced during the operation of separator will cause the heavy phase liquid to
be settled on the outer collecting ring as bottom product whereas the lighter phase
liquid is collected on the inner collecting ring as top product.

Generally, there are two main types of centrifugal separator namely tube
bowl centrifuge and disc bowl centrifuge. Both of them share the similar working
principle and are able to separate either solids from liquid or liquid from liquid
separation as long as the both liquid have different densities. Tube bowl centrifuge
consist of a tube rotated about its axis and the separation is occurred when the liquids
flow along the centrifuge or the solids are thrown towards the wall. Overflow dams
at the outlet end allow the two phases to be collect separately as final products.

Disc bowl centrifuge consist of discs which are actually inverted cones. The
feed is admitted near the base and passes up through holes in the discs. The discs are
about 5mm apart. Effective separation is achieved since the solids do not have to
travel far before hitting a disc. The diameter of the disc bowl centrifuge normally
varies from 10cm to 75cm whereas the spinning speeds are in the 1000’s or rpm
range.
 Disc bowl centrifuge is typically used in separations in which the proportion
of solids in liquid feed is small. The most common examples of disc bowl centrifugal
separation is cream separation and butterfat milk separation. Despite disc bowl
centrifuge provides effective separation for both liquid-liquid phase and solid-liquid
phase, the down time for cleaning will reduce efficiency and the separation is only
limited for the feeds with small solid content. Since disc bowl centrifuge involves
centrifugal force, it will take the radial velocity, inner and outer radius of disc stack
into consideration when designing the operating equation of disc bowl centrifuge as
shown below:

2n (r 32−r 31 )❑2
¿
3 g tan ❑

Where r 1=inner radii of the disc ¿

r 2=outer radii of the disc ¿

n=number of spacesbetween the disc

¿ cone h alf angle

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Materials

 Oil
 Water
 Disc Bowl Centrifuge
 Electronic Weighing Machine
 Gloves
 1 Litre Beakers
 Measuring Cylinder

Equipment
Figure 1: Disc Bowl Centrifuge

Figure 2: Disc Bowl Centrifuge Setup Components

PROCEDURES

Experiment 1A: Investigate the Effect of Frequency on Centrifuge Separation

1. 200ml of solution A (100% cooking oil) and 200ml of solution B (100%

water) were prepared separately in a beaker.
2. The mass of water and cooking oil were measured and each of their density
was calculated.
 3. Both solutions were mixed in a 1L beaker and density of the mixture was
calculated based on the mass measured. Two beakers were labelled as top
sample and bottom sample.
4. Frequency was set at 10 Hz. Disc bowl centrifuge was allowed to run for 3
minutes and the speed of the bowl was recorded.
5. The mixed solution was poured into the mixing tank. The apparatus was
stopped when there was no liquid coming out from the outlets.
6. Top sample and bottom sample were collected in the prepared beakers. Mass
and volume of the samples were measured and their densities were
calculated.
7. The densities calculated were compared with the initial solution density.
8. The experiment is repeated at different frequencies which are 15 Hz, 20Hz
and 25 Hz.

Experiment 1B: Investigate the Effect of Density on Centrifuge Separation

1. 100ml of solution A (cooking oil) and 300ml of solution B (water) were

prepared.
2. Step 2-7 were repeated at frequency of 20 Hz.
3. The experiment was repeated with oil to water volume ratio of 1:7 and 7:1.
4. Mixing tank, disc bowl and collecting tray were cleaned and washed.

Experiment 2: Density Determination

1. A measuring cylinder was prepared and its mass, in grams was taken.
2. The measuring cylinder was taken off the balance and the water was added
carefully by careful pouring until level was as close to the 20ml mark as
possible. The measuring cylinder was put back on the balance. The new mass
(cylinder plus water), in grams was measured and recorded.
3. Step 2 was repeated, adding 20ml at a time and the total mass was measured
and recorded until 100ml was reached.
4. The experiment is repeated for the oil.

RESULTS AND CALCULATIONS

Results
Mass of beaker of oil = 103g

Mass of beaker of water = 252g

Mass of beaker of top products = 131g

Mass of beaker of bottom products = 131g

Experiment 1A: Investigation of the Effect of Frequency on Centrifuge

Separation

Table 1: Initial data of oil, water and mixture at 10 Hz, 15 Hz, 20 Hz, and 25 Hz.
g
mass( g) volume(mL ) density ( )
mL
oil 180 200 0.900

water 202 200 1.010

mixture 378 400 0.945

Frequency = 10 Hz

Speed of disc bowl, v = 1847 rpm

Table 2: Final data of top and bottom products at 10 Hz

g
mass( g) volume(mL ) density ( )
mL
Top products 205 240 0.854

Bottom product 163 200 0.815

Frequency = 15 Hz

Speed of disc bowl, v = 3461 rpm

Table 3: Final data of top and bottom products at 15 Hz

g
mass( g) volume(mL ) density ( )
mL
Top products 148 190 0.779

Bottom product 162 200 0.810

Frequency = 20 Hz
Speed of disc bowl, v = 5010 rpm

Table 4: Final data of top and bottom products at 20 Hz

g
mass( g) volume(mL ) density ( )
mL
Top products 178 200 0.890

Bottom product 167 200 0.835

Frequency = 25 Hz

Speed of disc bowl, v = 6409 rpm

Table 5: Final data of top and bottom products at 25 Hz

g
mass( g) volume(mL ) density ( )
mL
Top products 210 250 0.840

Bottom product 171 200 0.855

Table 6: Separation efficiencies for top and bottom products at separation with
different frequencies.
Frequencies (Hz) Separation efficiency (%)
Top Bottom
10 94.89 80.69
15 86.56 80.20
20 98.89 82.67
25 93.33 84.65

Table 7: Average separation efficiencies for top and bottom products

Frequencies (Hz) Average Separation
Efficiency (%)

10 87.79
15 83.38
20 90.78
25 88.99

Experiment 1B: Investigation of the Effect of Density on Centrifuge Separation

Frequency = 20 Hz
Set A: Oil to water volume ratio is 1 : 3

Table 8: Initial data of oil, water and mixture when the ratio of oil to water is 1
to 3
g
mass( g) volume(mL ) density ( )
mL
oil 83 100 0.830

water 287 300 0.957

mixture 366 400 0.915

Table 9: Final data of top and bottom products when the ratio of oil to water is
1 to 3
g
mass( g) volume(mL ) density ( )
mL
Top products 170 200 0.850

Bottom product 215 250 0.860

Set B : Oil to water volume ratio is 1 : 7

Table 10: Initial data of oil, water and mixture when the ratio of oil to water is 1
to 7
g
mass( g) volume(mL ) density ( )
mL
oil 38 50 0.760

water 334 350 0.954

mixture 368 400 0.920

Table 11: Final data of top and bottom products when the ratio of oil to water is
1 to 7
g
mass( g) volume(mL ) density ( )
mL
Top products 49 48 1.020

Bottom product 328 380 0.863

Set C : Oil to water volume ratio is 7 : 1

Table 12: Initial data of oil, water and mixture when the ratio of oil to water is 7
to 1
 g
mass( g) volume(mL ) density ( )
mL
oil 295 350 0.843

water 49 50 0.980
mixture 340 400 0.850

Table 13: Final data of top and bottom products when the ratio of oil to water is
7 to 1
g
mass( g) volume(mL ) density ( )
mL
Top products 221 245 0.902

Bottom product 133 170 0.782

Table 14: Separation efficiencies for top and bottom product at different oil to
water volume ratio.
Oil to water volume ratio Separation efficiency (%)
Top Bottom
1:3 102.41 89.86
1:7 134.34 90.46
7:1 107.00 79.80

Table 15: Average separation efficiencies for top and bottom products
Oil to water volume ratio Average Separation
Efficiency (%)

1:3 96.14
1:7 112.40
7:1 93.40

Experiment 2: Density Determination

Table 16: Mass of water against volume

volume(mL ) mass( g)
0 45
20 65
40 85
60 104
 80 124
100 144

Graph 1: Graph of the mass of water against volume

Graph of the mass of water against volume

160
140
f(x) = 0.99 x + 45.14
120
Mass of water (g)

100
80
60
40
20
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Volume of water (mL)

The density of water is 0.9871 g/mL.

Table 17: Mass of oil against volume

volume(mL ) mass( g)
0 46
20 64
40 81
60 98
80 116
100 135

Graph 2: Graph of the mass of oil against volume

 Graph of the mass of oil against volume
160

140
f(x) = 0.88 x + 45.86
120
Mass of oil (g)

100

80

60

40

20

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Volume of oil (mL)

The density of oil is 0.8829 g/mL.

Sample Calculations

Density of oil, water and mixture:

Based on Table 1,

Mass of beaker A = 103g

Mass of beaker B = 252g

Experiment 1A

Actual mass of oil

¿ mass of oil ( oil plus beaker )−mass of beaker A

¿ 283−103

¿ 180 g

Density of oil , ρ oil

Mass of oil
¿
Volume of oil

180 g
¿
200 ml

¿ 0.9 g/ml
Actual mass of water

¿ mass of water ( water plus beaker )−mass of beaker B

¿ 454−252

¿ 202 g

Density of water , ρ water

Actual mass of water

¿
Volume of water

202 g
¿
200 ml

¿ 1.01 g /ml

Actual mass of mixture

¿ mass of mixture ( mixture plus beaker )−mass of beaker B

¿ 630−252

¿ 378 g

Density of water , ρ water

Actual mass of mixture

¿
Volume of mixture

378 g
¿
400 ml

¿ 0.95 g/ml

Density of top product and bottom product:

Mass of beaker C = 131g

From 4, evaluation is based on frequency = 20 Hz,

Actual mass of top product

¿ mass of top product ( top product plusbeaker )−mass of beaker C

¿ 309−131

¿ 178 g

Density of top product , ρtop product

Actual mass of top product

¿
Volume of top product

178 g
¿
200 ml

¿ 0.890 g/ml

Actual mass of top product

¿ mass of bottom product−mass of beaker C

¿ 298−131

¿ 167 g

Density of bottom product , ρbottom product

Actual mass of bottom product

¿
Volume of t product

167 g
¿
200 ml

¿ 0.835 g/ml

Separation Efficiency

At frequency = 20Hz

ρtop product
Separation efficiency of top product ( % )=
ρoil
 0.890
¿ ×100 %
0.900

¿ 98.89 %

ρbottom product
Separation efficiency of bottom product (%)=
ρwater

0.835
¿ ×100 %
1.010

¿ 82.76 %

Average separation efficiency

Water separation efficiency +Oil separation efficiency
¿
2
98.89 %+82.76 %
¿
2
¿ 90.78 %

Experiment 1B

From table 8 and 9, evaluation is made at ratio of oil to water = 1:3,

Mass of beaker for oil = 103g

Mass of beaker for water = 252g

Mass of beaker for top/bottom products = 131g

Actual mass of oil = 186 – 103 = 83g

Actual mass of water = 539 – 252 = 287g

Actual mass of top product = 180 – 131 = 170g

Actual mass of bottom product = 459 – 252 = 215g

Volume of oil = 100ml

Volume of water = 300ml

Volume of top product = 200ml

Volume of bottom product = 250ml

Actual mass
density =
volume

ρoil=0.830 g /ml

ρwater =0.957 g /ml

ρtop product=0.850 g /ml

ρbottom product=0.860 g /ml

Separation Efficiency

When oil to water volume ratio = 1 : 3

ρtop product
Separation efficiency of top product ( % )=
ρoil

0.850
¿ ×100 %
0.830

¿ 102.41 %

ρbottom product
Separation efficiency of bottom product ( % )=
ρwater

0.860
¿ × 100 %
0.957

¿ 89.86 %

Average separation efficiency

Water separation efficiency +Oil separation efficiency
¿
2
102.41% +89.86 %
¿
2
¿ 96.14 %

DISCUSSION
Effect of speed of the bowl on the separation efficiency

The separation of two immiscible liquids that differ in their density is

governed by the same principles as the density-driven solid-liquid separation. The
continuous discharge of the two phases from the settling tank or the centrifuge,
however, requires special consideration. Ideally, separation is complete when a sharp
front of separation, or interface, forms between the two liquid phases. The separation
front will be in stable equilibrium if the hydrostatic pressures of the two phases at the
interface are equal. This requirement determines the location of the interface and,
hence, that of the outlets for the heavy and light phases in the settling tank or the
centrifuge (Berk, 2018). In this experiment, mixture of oil and water is separated
using the disc bowl centrifuge. This unit employs the principle of centrifugal force
when separating the liquid mixture. Separation occurs as the heavy phase liquid
(water) experiences a higher magnitude of centrifugal force causing it to settle on the
outer ring while the lighter phase liquid (oil) is collected on the inner collecting ring.

Theoretically, when the speed of the disc bowl is increased, the separation
efficiency also increases, this is because as the speed of the disc bowl increases, the
mixture would experience a greater centrifugal force which would make separation
of liquid easier. However, in some cases, when the speed is too high, there may be a
risk where the two liquids intended to be separated may form emulsion which causes
separation to cease. Hence, an appropriate speed is required if separation were to
occur at a high efficiency. In this experiment, 4 different frequencies were set at
10Hz, 15Hz, 20Hz and 25Hz respectively. Based on the calculated efficiency, it
shows that the separation efficiency fluctuates from 10Hz to 25Hz with the trend of
decreasing efficiency from 10Hz to 15Hz, then increasing from 15Hz to 20Hz and
decreasing again from 20Hz to 25Hz for the top product which is the lighter phase
liquid (oil) and the trend at the bottom product (water) shows that it decreases from
10Hz to 15Hz and then increases from 15Hz to 20Hz and to 25Hz. The fluctuating
efficiency shows that the optimal frequency for highest separation efficiency in this
experiment for the top product is at 20Hz and for bottom product is at 25Hz. These
results are not necessarily accurate as there are many flaws in this experiment.
Although the results obtained from the experiment were not as accurate in nature, we
are still able to observe that there are some similarities between the theoretical and
experimental values which is when the speed increases, the separation efficiency
increases, albeit some of the results.

Separation of two liquids with similar density using disc bowl centrifuge

Theory states that the separation process could still be done due to the slight
difference in the densities between two solutions. However, for practical wise, the
separation process is very difficult to be performed. This is due to the centrifugal
forces exerted on both solutions will be almost similar. The centrifugal force is an
essential factor in the separation process. Normally, two solutions will experience
different centrifugal forces in order to be separated. The centrifugal force on the
heavier phase solution (water) will be greater hence it will occupy the outer
periphery and then to be collected at the outer collecting ring while the lighter phase
solution will experience lower magnitude of centrifugal force and then to be
collected at the inner collecting ring. In this case where the two solutions with very
near densities, centrifugal forces exerted are similar and hence causing some of the
slightly heavier phase solution will be collected in the inner collecting outlet also.
This could also happens to the lighter phase solution where it could be seemed to be
collected in the outer collecting outlet. As a result, the whole separation process will
be highly ineffective and the two solutions could not be separated from the mixture.

Estimation of the separation efficiency using experimental data obtained

Based on this experiment, it is possible to estimate the separation efficiency

of this unit. The separation efficiency is obtained based on comparing the density of
water and liquid before mixing and density of both solutions after separation is
conducted. This is because when the separation is not at its maximum, there will be
some oil left in the water which theoretically would cause the density of the
separated water to be lower than its pure form and vice versa in the case of oil’s
density. The separation efficiency is calculated with the formula of

ρtop product
Separation efficiency of top product ( % )= ×100 %
ρoil

However, the accuracy of the estimation is considerably low due to some errors
when conducting this experiment. In this experiment, the separation efficiency when
the frequency is varied from 10Hz to 25Hz are 94.89%, 86.56%, 98.89% and 93.3%
for the top product and 80.69%, 80.20%, 82.67% and 84.65% for the bottom product
as referred to table 6. Although we could observe some similar trend with the
theoretical trend, there were still some results that contradicts with the theoretical
trend. The reason why the accuracy of the estimation is questionable is because when
the frequency increases, the separation efficiency in nature should increase as well.
This is because the frequency set by our group in theory is not possible to cause the
water and oil mixture to form emulsion as the water molecules are more attracted to
each other than with the oil molecules. But as shown in the calculated efficiency, it
decreases at the top product when frequency is increased from 10Hz to 15Hz and
from 20Hz to 25Hz. This scenario is not possible according to the explanation of the
immiscibility of water and oil. Hence, the calculated efficiency is only able to
provide an estimation with low accuracy.

There are some source of errors which might be the reason why the data
obtained in this experiment is not accurate. Firstly, it is noted on the outer
appearance that the disc bowl centrifuge unit has been used for a long period of time
judging by the rustiness of some of the parts. This may cause problems when the unit
is running such as the inaccuracy of frequency adjusted as opposed to the frequency
set by our group. Secondly, when varying different sets of data, the disc bowl was
not cleaned which leads to some residue remaining in the disc bowl. Based on some
sets of results, these residue causes problem of obtaining a higher volume of product
compared to the volume of the mixture before it was pour into the unit for separation.
Thirdly, due to the nature of oil having a viscous property, some of it may stick in the
measuring cylinder which causes the initial volume to not match with the intended
set volume.

Applications of principle of centrifugal force

Some of the application of that employs the principle of centrifugal force are the
separation of whole milk into skimmed milk and cream in the milk industries since
the early ages (Walstra et al., 2005). Furthermore, some of the industries that
employs the same method includes the production of cheese, starch and yeast.
Besides that, centrifugation is also used in the recovery of industrial and process
water by removing the contaminants. In addition, in food and beverage industry,
centrifugation is used for the purification of fruit or vegetable juice, wine processing,
food treatment, and the extraction of edible additives [ CITATION pie18 \l 1033 ].

Effect of the changes in proportion of water to oil on the separation efficiency

In experiment 1B, the proportions of water and oil in the mixture were varied in
order to determine the effect on the separation efficiency of the mixture with the
change in the proportions of the two liquids in it. The total volume of the mixtures
was fixed at 400 ml and the frequency was also fixed at 20 Hz. The volume ratios of
the oil to water in the mixture were set at 1 to 3, 1 to 7 and 7 to 1 respectively. Before
the experiment was carried out, it was expected that when the percentage of water in
the mixture being increased, the efficiency of the separation process will be higher in
a theoretical way. From the results that are obtained from the experiment, it was
observed that the results have fulfilled the trend stated as above where the average
separation efficiency is in an increasing behavior when the amount of water in the
mixture was increased. This is further proven by the fact that the average separation
efficiency is the lowest when the oil to water ratio was set at 7:1 where the water
content in the mixture was the lowest among the three experiments. However,
average separation efficiency has exceeded 100% when the percentage of water in
the mixture was set at 350 ml and oil at 50 ml in which this should not be the actual
case. This is probably due to some experimental errors which will be discussed later.

Improvements

There are several measurable steps could be done in order to improve the accuracy of
the results in this experiment. First of all, the volumes of the solution could be
measured in a higher precision measuring equipment such as burette. Burette could
measure up to the precision of 0.1 ml which will be much more accurate than the
measuring cylinder used in the experiment which is only for rough estimation for the
volumes of the solutions. In addition, the oil and water solutions used in the
experiments were recycled and reused. This might contribute to the errors discussed
in the above part as the purity of the solutions were not 100%. In order to solve the
problem, new oil and water solutions should be used for every single experiments.
Next, the parts such as the disc bowl, liquid collecting outlets should be cleaned up
using water and detergent after each experiments. This is to ensure that there will be
no residue or leftover on the parts that could affect the accuracy of the results at the
end of the experiments.

Precautions

There are also some precaution steps should be taken before or during the experiment
in order to avoid unnecessary accidents and errors. First of all, the oil should be
handled with extra care as it is considered as flammable product and it has to be kept
away from the sources of ignition such as the other electrical equipment in the lab.
On the other hand, slip proof shoes should be worn during the experiment as oil may
spill and causing slippery hazard. Next, gloves should be worn while cleaning the
equipment or parts as prolonged exposure to the cleaning agent might cause
irritations to skins. Lastly, students are not allowed to interfere with the equipment
parts such as the disc bowl or the liquid collecting outlets when the motor is running
at high speed to prevent any unwanted injuries.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the principle of centrifugal force and the density difference

between the liquid phases have played their significant role in the operation of disc
bowl centrifuge. The denser phase will be settling on the outer collecting ring and
collected as bottom product meanwhile the less dense phase will be settling within
the inner collecting ring as top product. Theoretically, the higher the frequency, the
higher the speed, and thus the greater the separation efficiency. However, the
experimental data shows that only certain frequencies and appropriate speed will lead
to an effective separation. There is also inaccuracy of result occurred in this
experiment as some of the efficiencies are greater than 100% which is impossible in
practical case due to the experimental errors occurred when conducting the
experiment.

REFERENCES

Berk. Z. (2018). Chapter 9 – Centrifugation. Food Process Engineering and Technology

(Third Edition), pp 243-259.
Disc centrifuge. (1989). Pigment & Resin Technology, 18(7), pp.8-9.

Pieralisi. (2018). Centrifugal separators for industrial use. Retrieved from Gruppo
Pieralisi. Retrieved from
http://www.pieralisi.com/media/files/143_114_centrifugal_separators.pdf
RJ, W. (2019). CENTRIFUGES. Thermopedia.com. Retrieved from
http://www.thermopedia.com/content/620/