1.

INTRODUCTION

The removal of solid particles from a fluid by passing the fluid through a filtering
medium on which solids are deposited is said to be filters. Solid liquid separation is the
separation of two phases, solid and liquid, from suspension. The technology for carrying
out this process is often referred to as `Mechanical Separation' because the separation is
accomplished by purely physical means.

This does not preclude chemical or thermal pretreatment which is increasingly used to
enhance the separation that follows. Although some slurries separate perfectly well
without chemical or physical conditioning, most slurries and pulps of a widely varying
nature can benefit from pretreatment, whether the separation is by sedimentation(gravity
or centrifugal), filtration or flotation[1] [2]. A conditioning effect can be obtained using
several

processes such as coagulation and flocculation, addition of inert filter aids,

crystallization, freezing, temperature or pH adjustment, thermal treatment and ageing.
Only the first two operations are considered in more detail here due to their importance
and wide use.

1.1-ROTARY VACUUM DRUM FILTERS:

The Rotary Vacuum Drum Filter belongs to the bottom feed group and is one of the
oldest filters applied to the chemical process industry. Therefore rotary vacuum drum
filters are certainly used in to the best part of solid liquid separation process. The Figure
1, shows the basic structure of the rotary vacuum drum filters and also its components
and their working parameters. A valve with a bridge setting which controls the sequence
of the cycle so that each sector is subjected to vacuum, blow and a dead zone [3]. When a
sector enters submergence vacuum commences and continues through washing, if
required to a point that it is cut-off and blow takes place to assist in discharging the cake.
The valve has on certain filters adjustable blocks and on others a fixed bridge rings (see
Figure 2). Adjustable bridge blocks enable the optimization of form to dry ratio within
the filtration cycle as well as the "effective submergence" of the drum when the slurry
level in the tank is at the maximum.

The majority of drum filters have a valve with three bridge blocks and a single row pipe
plate as shown below and on the right[4]. The duty of the bridges is:

Vacuum and blow zones separating bridge: This Bridge cuts off the vacuum so it is
slightly wider than the internal pipe port.

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Dead Zone Bridge: This Bridge opens to vacuum once a compartment submerges. Start-
up assists bridge. At start-up the upper vacuum zone is open to atmosphere and a cake
may be formed only when closing the valve that controls this zone. Once the cake starts
to emerge from the tank the valve is gradually opened and fully opened when the entire
drum face is wrapped with the cake. Since in continuous operation both lower and upper
zones are under vacuum this bridge is slightly narrower than the internal pipe port so that
the vacuum is continuous and the cake is held onto the drum. The rotary drum vacuum
filter is a very versatile liquid/solid separation device. It is used where a continuous
separation is desired of a solid from a liquid stream. It can be used in process applications
where the solid is the product or where the liquid is the product (and sometimes when
both phases are the product). In wastewater applications it can be used to dewater a
variety of sludge or to clarify wastewater.

Cake washing is used when a given cake purity is required. It is also used to improve
extraction of liquid products or dissolved materials from the filter cake. Labor pilot
testing can be used to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of cake washing on a
rotary vacuum drum Filter

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1.2. CAKE FORMATION:

With the overflow weir set to a maximum the "apparent submergence" is normally 33-
35% so the slurry levels between 04.00 and 08.00 hrs. Once a sector enters submergence
vacuum is applied and a cake starts to form up to a point where the sector emerges from
the slurry. The portion of the cycle available for formation is the "effective submergence"
and its duration depends on the number of sectors, the slurry level in the tank

1.3. CAKE WASHING AND DRYING:

After emerging from submergence the drying portion of the cycle commences and for
non-wash applications continues to about 01.30 hrs where the vacuum is cutoff.

If cake washing is required the wash will be manifolds will be located from about 10.30
to 11.30 hrs and the remaining time to vacuum cut-off at 01.30 hrs is the portion allocated
to final cake drying[5].

After vacuum for the entire sector is cut-off air blow commences at about 02.00 hrs in
order to facilitate cake discharge. The blow, depending on the position of the tip of the
scraper blade, wills cut-off at approximately03.00 hrs. Drum filters are normally operated
with allow pressure blow but on certain applications a snap blow is applied and to avoid
the snapping out of the caulking bars or ropes wire winding of the cloth is recommended.

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

The materials that we took for the analysis of the slurries are vacuum pump, beaker and
water along with the heating medium. We used pH meter to find the initial pH value of
the slurries. We had taken two slurries in order to reduce the moisture content. Finally
with the help of these materials we were able to perform the specified task. The
Chemicals used are Calcium Hypochlorite and Calcium Carbonate.

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 4.General Composition

12 sector rotary drum, made of stainless steel, 500 mm diameter, variable speed:

• 200 l capacity feed tank (plastic material).

• electric stirrer for feed tank, 0.37 kW.

• electrically operated feed pump, 0,7 kW for pumping thick, abrasive and sandy fluids.

• filtered product circulation pump of plastic material, electrically operated, 0.37 kW.

• filtered product tank of plastic material, 200 l capacity.

• electrically operated vacuum pump: 1,45 kW, 100 to 650 mm Hg vacuum, 18 to 7 m3/h
flow rate.

• 60 l capacity mud collection tank.

• on-off valves

• electrical control board:

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 - automatic circuit breaker.
- key operated selector.
- emergency push-button.
- service socket.
- overload cut out switches for pump starting.
- drum speed regulator.
- voltage warning lamps.
- synoptic.

5.Experimental procedure:

5.1 Standardization of pH Value

The pH value was analyzed using a pH meter with a glass membrane electrode. The
variation of pH over the time during the course of the experiment was analyzed using the
pH meter. According to the requirement of the company we are decreasing the pH by
adding wash water during the process of analyzing.

5. 2 Analytical method

The given slurry was filled in a rubber corked round bottomed flask. The filter medium is
chosen in such a way that the cake deposition should be more and the filtrate also should
be clear. Nylon made filter medium was used in this experiment. The feed was heated at a
temperature of around 45 to 60o C for around thirty minutes. After the heating process
the initial weight of the plate was taken then slurry which was heated up was measured
along with the plate. Now, the weight of the dry cake and wet cake was easily calculated

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and are tabulated. Finally, the moisture content of the slurry is found out[6][7]. With the
help of the filtrate area we can easily design the RVDF for the given slurry. Some
parametric changes are done to reduce the moisture content of the given slurries.

General Synoptic

A. Rotary drum

B. Feed tank

C. Stirrer

D. Feed pump

E. Circulation pump

F. Vacuum pump

G. Filtered product tank

H. Mud collection tank

I. On-off valves

L. Electrical control Board

6.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Analysis of calcium hypochlorite

By the experimental methods as said earlier the initial moisture content of the calcium
hypochlorite slurry is found out. First the weight of the wet and dry cake measured and
these results are used in for the calculation to find out the initial moisture content. There a
dings were tabulated in Table.

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