Centrifuges & Separation Equipment

Separators and decanters are centrifuges which separate liquid mixtures into e.g. oil and water with simultaneous removal of solids. Those phases can be separated from each other due to their density difference. It's the high centrifugal force which makes for high separation efficiency.

Separators: high g-force makes for clear cuts

Separators are vertical bowl high speed centrifuges, up to 10,000 G, which are primarily applied for the clarification and separation of liquids with and without solids content. The maximum particle size that can be separated is 0.5 mm with a total solids content of 0.1 – 3 %. The throughput capacities of separators range from 50 to 250,000 l / h; a comfortable spectrum which accommodates the units for all process steps of separation technology.

Only the high g-force of our separators can handle the low density difference between for example heavy crude oil and water in a reliable and efficient way. They also make sure that the residual oil content of e.g. produced water will never exceed 5 ppm. 

Decanters: workhorses for high solids content

When the solids content in the suspension is too high, up to 60 %, it‘s time to call in the decanters. They are often placed upstream of a centrifuge and achieve high clarification efficiencies and maximum dewatering. They are also employed for the separation of liquids with simultaneous removal of the solids. The essential preconditions here are a high bowl speed, a powerful drive for the scroll and a scroll speed that is automatically adapted to the solids concentration in the feed. They work with a horizontal bowl and scroll and come in 2-phase or 3-phase design. 

GEA decanter centrifuges are used for example to process drilling muds including barite recovery or to treat slop oils in order to increase profit by recovering and recycling the oil phase from the slop.