Evaluation of a solid-bowl centrifuge for ultrafine size separations

Solid-bowl (decanter) centrifuges are used extensively to dewater slurries in a wide range of industries. However, the application of decanters as cla ssification devices is not as common. In this study, the performance of a c ontinuous, pilot-scale, solid-bowl centrifuge was evaluated when classifyin g till ultrafine coal slurry containing nearly 60% material less than 10 mu m. The test conditions included centrifuge bowl and scroll speeds, volumetr ic feed rate, solids concentration and pond depth. Centrifuge performance w as evaluated using size selectivity curves and the corresponding performanc e parameters, along with product yields and solids concentrations.