What Is a Flat Sedimentation Centrifuge?

A sedimentation centrifuge separates solids from liquid by letting them settle under centrifugal force against a solid, unperforated drum wall — there is no filter cloth and no screen anywhere in the machine. After the solids have packed against the wall, a skimming pipe is lowered into the spinning bowl and draws off the clarified liquid layer by layer; the compacted solids are then removed at the end of the batch. Because nothing filters the liquid, the machine does not care how fine the particles are: a sedimentation centrifuge will separate particles that would pass straight through a cloth or blind it within minutes.

Working Principle

1) Feed and accelerate. Slurry is fed into the sealed drum, which is already running at speed. 2) Sedimentation. Centrifugal force packs the solids against the drum wall while clarified liquid forms the inner layer. 3) Skimming. The skimming pipe descends slowly into the bowl and draws off the clear liquid, following the falling level, so the solids layer is not disturbed. 4) Deeper skimming. As the level drops the pipe continues to follow it down, recovering the maximum volume of clarified liquor. 5) Solids removal. The batch ends, the drum slows, and the packed solids are removed from the open drum. 6) Clean and repeat. The drum is smooth and unperforated, so cleaning is quick and there is no filter medium to replace.

Key Features

No filter medium at all — nothing to blind, nothing to replace, and no medium cost in the operating budget.

Works on particles no cloth would retain — fine and colloidal solids settle out where filtration would fail.

Handles viscous liquor — liquid that would not drain through a cloth still separates because nothing has to pass through anything.

Adjustable skimming — the pipe follows the liquid level, so a clear fraction is recovered rather than a mixed one.

Very clean construction — a single smooth drum with no perforations is easy to clean and easy to validate.

Closed operation — sealed execution available for toxic or volatile liquors.

Typical Applications

A PSC sedimentation centrifuge is used where the solids are too fine or the liquor too viscous for filtration, and where a clean clarified liquid is the main product:

• fine chemical slurries　· viscous reaction liquors　· pharmaceutical mother liquor clarification　· dye and pigment suspensions　· metal hydroxide sludge　· oil and fat clarification　· precious metal residues　· clarification before filtration

Selection Guide

Sedimentation and filtration machines solve different problems. Pick based on what your solids actually do:

Choose the PSC when you need a clean liquid out of a slurry whose solids will not filter — fine, slimy or viscous. If your real goal is a dry cake, a filtering machine or a decanter is the right tool instead.

Technical Specifications

Customization & Options

Drum and casing in 304, 316L or higher alloys; Halar or rubber lining for aggressive liquors; sealed execution for toxic or volatile material; adjustable skimming pipe with automatic level following; jacketed drum for viscous or temperature-sensitive liquor; explosion-proof motor and panel; CIP connections; discharge arrangements to suit your downstream process.

FAQ

It descends into the spinning bowl at a controlled rate and follows the falling liquid level as liquid is drawn off. Because it tracks the level rather than sitting at a fixed depth, it recovers the clarified layer without dragging solids back into the stream. The rate of descent is adjustable, so you can favour clarity or speed.

Much finer than a filter medium can retain. Because separation is by settling and not by straining, particles that would pass through a cloth are captured as long as they are denser than the liquid and the residence time is long enough. Very fine or near-neutral-density particles may need flocculant, which we can allow for in the design.

No, and you should not expect it to be. The solids come out as a compacted paste, because there is no filter medium to draw the last liquid out against. If a dry cake is the objective, use a filtering machine or a decanter; if a clean liquor is the objective, the PSC is the right machine.

Yes, and that is one of its main advantages. Filtration needs liquid to flow through a medium, which viscous liquor resists. Sedimentation only needs the solids to move relative to the liquid, which they can do in quite viscous material.

Very simply, because the drum has no perforations, no cloth and no screen. The internal surface is smooth and continuous, so cleaning is a matter of washing a single surface rather than clearing a medium. That makes validation straightforward for pharmaceutical users.

Why Jiangsu Shengli Centrifuge

Jiangsu Shengli Centrifuge Manufacturing Co., Ltd. manufactures this range at its 158,905 m2 works, where the critical operations - machining, wear-facing and dynamic balancing - are carried out in house rather than subcontracted. The company is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, holds CE marking and more than 30 patents, and exports to over 30 countries. Each machine is run-tested before dispatch and supplied with its balancing record.

Request a Quote or a Free Separation Test

Before you specify, send us your material. We test it on laboratory and pilot machines and report what the separation actually achieves, so the model we recommend is based on measurement rather than assumption. Include your target moisture or clarity figure and we will tell you honestly whether this machine can reach it.