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Mechanical separations in process plants involve the separation of solids from solids, gases, and liquids based on physical differences like size, shape, or density. Key operations include screening, filtration, sedimentation, and centrifugation, each utilizing different methods and equipment to achieve separation. Applications range from removing solids from liquids in sewage to separating food particles in various food processing industries.

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4 views1 page

Newfilec Che

Mechanical separations in process plants involve the separation of solids from solids, gases, and liquids based on physical differences like size, shape, or density. Key operations include screening, filtration, sedimentation, and centrifugation, each utilizing different methods and equipment to achieve separation. Applications range from removing solids from liquids in sewage to separating food particles in various food processing industries.

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troymanuel540
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Mechanical Separations

In a process plant the chemical engineer may have to deal with separation of
solids from solids, solids from gases, solids from liquids and liquid drops from
gases. Mechanical separations are based on physical differences among the
particles such as size, shape or density. Important operations falling under
this category are screening, filtration, sedimentation, centrifugation, etc.
Screening: Screening is a method of separating solid particles from a mixture
of solids based on their size difference alone. Screens are available in variety
of mesh sizes and depending upon the size of the feed handled by the
screens, screening devices are classified as grizzlies, trommels, shaking
screens and vibrating screens. Filtration: In filtration, suspended solid
particles in a fluid, either a gas or a liquid, is removed by passing through a
filtering medium such as canvas cloth that retains the particles as a separate
phase or cake and allows the passage of clear filtrate. Filter presses, leaf
filters, rotary drum filters, etc. are the filters used for separating solids from
liquids. Centrifugal filters are another class of filters in which the filtering
medium is attached to a rotating basket and the centrifugal action forces the
liquid through it. Sedimentation: In settling and sedimentation, the particles
are separated from the fluid by gravitational force acting on the particles.
The particles can be solid particles or liquid drops. The separation of a dilute
slurry or suspension by gravity settling into a clear fluid and a slurry of
higher solids content is called sedimentation. Removal of solids from liquid
sewage wastes, settling of crystals from mother liquor, separation of solid
food particles from a liquid food, etc. are some important applications of
settling for separation. Gravity settling tanks, Spitzkasten classifier and
continuous thickener are pieces of equipment coming under this group.
Settling of solid particles aided by centrifugal forces can be used to separate
particles that will not settle easily in gravity settlers. Centrifugal separation is
employed in many food industries such as breweries, vegetable oil
processing, fruit juice processing, etc

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