Title of Experiment

Disc Bowl Centrifuge.

Objective

 To understand disc bowl centrifuge working principle.

 To demonstrate the separation of heavy phase liquid.
 To demonstrate the effect of product type as throughput.
 To calculate the separation efficiency

Introduction

Centrifugal separators are designed for designed for liquid-based applications. The basic
principle it utilizes is centrifugal force. They are widely used for separating suspensions
consisting of two or more phases of different densities. For example, they can be used for liquid-
liquid separation, for liquid-liquid-solid separation or for liquid-solid separation. They are
equally as effective at separating liquid mixtures at the same time as removing solids
("Centrifugal Separator", 2019). Centrifugal separator is mostly used in the separating process in
chemical and pharmaceutical industries through oil and fat recovery to the production of dairy
product, beer as well as the processing of mineral oil and mineral oil products.

Liquid-liquid centrifuge separates two liquids of different densities by spinning at

relatively high speeds based on liquid density. The liquid with higher density will experience a
greater magnitude of centrifugal force compared to the lighter phase liquid, thus the heavy phase
liquid will settle on the outer collecting ring while the lighter phase liquid is collected on the
inner collecting ring. Since the centrifugal separator is highly depend on fluid density, hence the
bigger the difference in density of two fluids, the more efficient is the separation process. The
separation of the liquid with different density can also be done by natural sedimentation but the
separation effect can be achieved much faster with the help of the centrifugal force.
 There are two main types of centrifuge which are tube bowl centrifuge and disc bowl
centrifuge. Both are able to separate solid from liquid or two liquids of different density. Tube
bowl centrifuge consists of a long hollow tube rotated about its axis. Feed enters at one end near
the axis and is removed in two streams containing separated materials. The liquids are separate
as they flow along the centrifuge or solids are thrown towards the wall. Overflow dams at the
outlet end allow the two phases to be collected separately. In contrast, for disc bowl centrifuge,
feed is introduced from the center of the bowl near its bottom. The feed is then rising through a
stack of discs. Each disc has many holes which form flow channels for the liquid portion of feed
to flow through. The solids will be collected on the disc surface and moves outwards from the
center of the disc to the wall due to centrifugal force. The disks reduce the distance that a solid
particle must travel before it is separated from the feed. The disc distance is about 5mm and the
spin speeds are in 1000’s or rpm range.

Equipment

EQUIPMENT -Disc bowl centrifuge unit

The disc bowl centrifuge unit is designed to demonstrate the separation of a heavy phase liquid
using the principle of centrifugal force. This is a bench top unit comprises of an epoxy coated
frame, feed reservoir, collecting vessels, variable speed motor, feed system and control panel
mounted on the stainless steel frame. The throughput of the feed system is at least 150 LPH. The
speed of the motor can be varied from 8500 to 12000 rpm using an electronic speed controller.
 Figure 1.1: Disc Bowl Centrifuge

Figure 1.2: Disc Bowl Centrifuge Setup Components

Procedures

Pre-experiment Procedures

1. The theory of centrifugation was read and understood.

2. The equipment used in the experiment (disc bowl centrifuge) was read and
understood.
3. The safety precautions and chemical hazards was read before conducting the
experiment.
 4. The following apparatus and materials needed for the experiment was prepared:
 Disc bowl centrifuge × 1
 500 mL beaker × 2
 1 L beaker × 3
 Weighting scale × 1
 Deionized water 2.5 L and cooking oil 2.5 L
 Spatula × 2
 Waste bottle 5 L
 Dish washing detergent × 1 bottle

General Start-Up Procedures

1. The apparatus was placed on a level table.

2. The 3-pin plug was connected to main power supply. The power supply and main
power switch at the front of the control panel was turned on.
3. The ‘Run’ green button on the frequency inverter was pressed. The motor was tested
running by adjusting the turning knob on the frequency inverter to around 10 Hz. The
motor was ensured running. 4. The disc rpm meter was checked and ensure that there
was reading shown in meter when motor was running.
4. The apparatus was ready to use if all the parts and components were working well.

Cleaning Procedures

1. The mixing tank, liquid collecting outlet tray and the disc bowl were removed.
2. The apparatus were cleaned by detergent and warm water.
3. All the parts were wiped and dried.
4. All the parts were placed back to original position.
5. The mixing tank was filled with 3-4 litres of hot water.
6. The unit was run by setting the frequency to about 20 Hz.
7. The machine was switched off when all the water was drained out
Results & Calculation
Experiment 1A: Effect of Frequency on Centrifuge Separation
Ratio of water to oil was set to be constant meanwhile the frequency was varied here.
Volume of Pure Water, V = 100 mL
Volume of Pure Oil, V = 100 mL
Ratio of Water to Oil =1:1

Table 1: Properties of Oil, Water and Mixture At Initial Condition

Mass of Beaker (g) 26
Mass of Oil (g) 78
Volume of Oil (mL) 100
Density of Oil (g/mL) 0.7800
Mass of Water (g) 100
Volume of Water m(L) 100
Density of Water (g m/L) 1.0000

Table 2: Results of Centrifuge Separation at Various Frequencies (Hz)

Frequency, f (Hz) 15 20 25 30
Speed of Motor, ω (rpm) 3370 4960 6420 7850
Mass of initial oil-water mixture(g) 178 157 145 136
Volume of initial oil-water 200 173 155 140
mixture(mL)
Density of initial oil-water 0.8900 0.9075 0.9355 0.9714
mixture(g/mL)
Top Product
Mass, m (g) 193 70 60 56
Volume, V (mL) 125 173 155 140
 Density, ρ (g/mL) 1.5440 0.9333 0.9231 0.9032
Bottom Product
Mass, m (g) 47 77 74 87
Volume, V (mL) 48 80 75 85
Density, ρ (g/mL) 0.9792 0.9625 0.9867 1.0236

Table 3: Separation Efficiency (%) At Various Frequencies (Hz)

Separation Efficiency, ɳ (%)
Frequency, f (Hz)
Top Product Bottom Product Overall
15 50.52 102.12 76.32
20 83.57 103.90 93.74
25 84.50 101.35 92.93
30 86.40 97.69 92.05

Experiment 1B: Effect of Density on Centrifuge Separation

In this part of the experiment, frequency was set to be constant meanwhile the ratio of
water to oil was varied.

Frequency, f = 30 Hz

Table 4: Properties of Oil, Water and Mixture At Initial Condition with Different Ratios of
Water to Oil
Ratio of Water to Oil
Before Mixing 1.5:1 2:1 2.5:1
Speed of Motor, ω (rpm) 7280 7942 7930
Mass of Oil, V mL 78 62 81
Volume of Oil, m G 100 100 100
Density of Oil, ρ g/mL 0.7800 0.6200 0.8100
Mass of Water, V mL 136 185 231
Volume of Water, m G 150 200 250
Density of Water, ρ g/mL 0.9067 0.9250 0.9240
Mass of Mixture, V mL 213 269 313
Volume of Mixture, m G 250 300 350
Density of Mixture, ρ g/mL 0.8520 0.8967 0.8943
 Table 5: Results of Centrifuge Separation at Different Ratios of Water to Oil
Ratio of Water to Oil
After Mixing 1.5:1 2:1 2.5:1
Top Product
Mass, m g 74 103 98
Volume, V mL 85 112 105
Density, ρ g/mL 0.8706 0.9196 0.9333
Bottom Product
Mass, m G 110 150 200
Volume, V mL 115 155 205
Density, ρ g/mL 0.9565 0.9677 0.9756

Table 6: Separation Efficiency (%) At Different Ratios of Water to Oil

Separation Efficiency, ɳ (%)
Ratio Ratio of Water to Oil
Top Product Bottom Product Overall
1 1.5:1 89.59 104.55 97.07
2 2:1 67.42 103.34 85.38
3 2.5:1 86.79 102.50 94.65

Graph of Centrifuge Separation Efficiency against Frequency of AC

motor at oil and water ratio of 1:1
100
Centrifuge Separation Efficiency(%)

95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32
Frequency of AC Motor(Hz)

Figure 1: Graph of Centrifuge Separation Efficiency against Frequency of

AC Motor at oil and water ratio of 2:1 for Experiment 1A
 Graph of Centrifuge Separation Efficiency against Density of
InitiaMixture at 30Hz
100
90
Centrifuge Separation efficiency (%)

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0.84 0.85 0.86 0.87 0.88 0.89 0.9
Density of Initial Mixture (g/mL)

Figure 2: Graph of Centrifuge Separation Efficiency against Density of

Initial Mixture at 30Hz for Experiment 1B
Graph of Centrifuge Separation Efficiency against Ratio od OIl to
Water at 30Hz
100
CEntrifuge Separation Efficiency(%)

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Ratio of oil to water based on volume
Sample Calculations

Experiment 1A:

Data of ratio as (1 : 1) and frequency as 15 Hz was selected for sample calculations.

Pure Water

Initial Mass of Water = 100 g

Initial Volume of Water = 100 mL

Mass of Water
Density of Water =
Volume of Water

100 g
=
100 mL

= 1.000 g/mL

Pure Oil

Initial Mass of Oil =78 g

Initial Volume of Oil = 100 mL

Mass of Oil
Density of Oil =
Volume of Oil

078 g
=
100 mL

= 0.78 g/mL
Mixture of Pure Water and Pure Oil

Initial Mass of Mixture =178 g

Initial Volume of Mixture = 200 mL

Mass of Mixture
Density of Mixture =
Volume of Mixture

178 g
=
200 mL

= 0.890 g/mL

After Mixing and Separation

Mass of Top Product = 193 g

Volume of Top Product = 125 mL

Mass of Top Product

Density of Top Product =
Volume of Top Product

193 g
=
125 mL

= 1.544 g/mL

Density of Oil Before Separation

Separation Efficiency of Top Product = [ ] × 100 %
Density of Top Product

0,7800
=[ ] × 100 %
1.544

= 50.52 %

Mass of Bottom Product = 47 g

Volume of Bottom Product = 48 mL

Mass of Bottom Product

Density of Bottom Product =
Volume of Bottom Product

47 g
=
48 mL
 = 0.9792 kg/L

Density of Water Before Separation

Separation Efficiency of Bottom Product = × 100 %
Density of Bottom Product

1.000
= × 100 %
0.9792

= 102.12 %

∴ Overall Efficiency Separation

(Separation Efficiency of Top Product +Separation Efficiency of Bottom Product)

=
2

(50.52+102.12)
=
2

= 76.32 %

Experiment 1B:

Data of ratio of water to oil as ( 1.5:1 ) was selected for sample calculation.

Mass of Top Product = 74 g

Volume of Top Product = 85 mL

Mass of Top Product

Density of Top Product =
Volume of Top Product

74 g
=
85 mL

= 0.8706 kg/L

Density of Oil Before Separation

Separation Efficiency of Top Product = [ ] × 100 %
Density of Top Product

0.7800
=[ ] × 100 %
0.8706
 = 89.59 %

Mass of Bottom Product = 110 g

Volume of Bottom Product = 115 mL

Mass of Bottom Product

Density of Bottom Product =
Volume of Bottom Product

110 g
=
115 mL

= 0.9565 kg/L

Density of Bottom Product

Separation Efficiency of Bottom Product = × 100 %
Density of Water Before Separation

1.000
= × 100 %
0.9565

= 104.55 %

∴ Overall Efficiency Separation

(Separation Efficiency of Top Product +Separation Efficiency of Bottom Product)

=
2

(89.58+104.55)
=
2

= 97.07 %

Discussion

Disc bowl centrifuge or otherwise known as disc stack centrifuge or conical plate centrifuge is a
multipurpose device that is used to separate solid/solid and liquid/liquid mixtures in a
continuous, seMi-continuous and batch manner. For liquid/liquid, solid/solid and in some extent
three phase (two liquids and one solid) a significant density difference must occur between them.
Tough many different types of dis bowl centrifuge exists, the most common type consist is an
imperforate bowl which is surrounded by an inverted stack of 30–200 thin conical discs and
separated by 0.3–3 mm spacers. The spacing between the discs depends on the feed, for example
the solid content, density difference between the feed and viscosity. When the discs rotate, feed
is fed centrally through the top axis and it travels through the annular spaces between the discs
and where centrifugal force is acted upon it with a force that can be varied between 4000 to
14000 gravitational force which then causes the particles to gather on the underside of the discs
where they slide down towards the outer periphery of the centrifuge bowl. (Wakeman and
Tarleton, 2007)
Centrifugal force is the apparent outward force on a mass when it is rotated. Few examples
where we can see this force act is the end of a ball on string when it is being rotated, the outward
motion of car, the opposite of Earth’s rotation about its axis, spin cycle of a washing machine
and merry go round. (Talley et al, 2011). Centripetal force which is opposite to the centrifugal
force, is the force that is necessary to keep an object moving in a curved path and that is directed
inward, towards the centre of rotation. By looking at the definition it can be concluded that
centripetal force is a real force while the centrifugal force is not. This can be seen in the example
given above, as when a ball on a string is turned the string exerts an inward centripetal force on
the ball, and the ball only exerts an “apparent” outward centrifugal force on the string. Andrew
A.Ganse concluded that it is based on the frame of reference, that it is the same force but is
acting in different directions due to their experience from different frames of reference. (Lucas,
2019)
The first experiment was conducted in order to find the effect of frequency on centrifuge
separation. Four different frequencies was applied on two different solutions namely, deionized
water and vegetable oil. From the results obtained it can be seen from Table 2 that the higher the
frequency the higher the speed of the motor. The higher speed of the motor causes the bowl to
rotate in a high pace thus causing the separation efficiency to gradually increase as can be seen in
Table 3.
Experiment 1B was conducted in order to investigate density effects on centrifuge separations. In
this experiment frequency was set to be constant at 30 Hz meanwhile the ratio of water to oil was
varied. Three ratios of water to oil that was used 1.5:1, 2:1 and 2.5:1. It can be seen from Table 6
and the Graph of Centrifuge Separation Efficiency against Density of Initial Mixture at 30Hz
which was presented in Figure 2 that it decreases slowly as the ratio or the density increases.
This is because the disc bowl centrifuge has a limit based on particle size and density during
separation. It depends on the cell culture properties, centrifuge feed rate, bowl geometry, and
rotational speed. (Mehta et al, 2018). This can be proven by the Stokes equation

whereby,
The above equation shows that the particles with higher density and a bigger size will usually
travel at a faster rate and will be seperated from paticles that as much smaller particle size and is
less denser. Stokes equation says that the sedimentation rate is proportional to the difference in
density between the particle and the medium, the sedimentation rate decreases as the medium
viscosity increases and the sedimentation rate increases as the gravitational force increases.
(Majekodunmi, 2015). Two solutions with densities near to each other cannot be separated using
a disc bowl centrifuge. This is because the separation efficiency depends on the feed. Disc bowl
centrifuge has an imperforate bowl which is surrounded by an inverted stack of 30–200 thin
conical discs and separated by 0.3–3 mm spacers and only certain significant density difference
can be separated when the bowl is in rotating motion.
There are many errors that has occurred in the conduction of this experiment which might have
caused certain deviation in the data collected. Firstly, was the mixing of the two solutions, oil
and water. The solution has to be mixed well before pouring into the disc bowl centrifuge in
order to obtain the best separation efficiency. The consequences of this error can be seen in the
result obtained from Table 6 where there is a major decrease in the efficiency from the 1:1 ration
to 2:1 ratio. Besides that, another human error that might have affected the data is the
measurement of ratio as there may be certain parallax error when mixing both the solution to a
certain ratio, or there might be a small portion of residue from the previous mixing. Also, when
the solution is poured into the disc bowl centrifuge and the separation has occurred there still
might be some portion of uncollected sample stuck in the sides of the cream and skim milk pan.
Safety precautions that has to be taken prior and during the experiment is the apparatus should
not be used for solid-liquid separation. Besides that, no body part should be inserted to the belt
pulley system when the motor is running. Also the liquid collecting outlet tray should not be
removed when the motor is running. And finally any leakage or spilling of oil in the floor should
be avoided for the safety of others and cleaning purposes.
The objective of this experiment are to understand disc bowl centrifuge working principle, to
demonstrate the separation of heavy phase liquid, to demonstrate the effect of product type as
throughput and to calculate the separation efficiency.
From the experiment, we obtained the density of top product and bottom product after
separation, as well as the density of oil and water before the separation process. By applying to
the equation
 Density of Oil Before Separation
Separation Efficiency of Top Product = [ ] × 100 %
Density of Top Product

Density of Bottom Product

Separation Efficiency of Bottom Product = × 100 %
Density of Water Before Separation

Overall Efficiency Separation

(Separation Efficiency of Top Product +Separation Efficiency of Bottom Product)

=
2

separation efficiency can be obtained. Separation efficiency can be estimated theoretically. When
the density of top product is larger, the separation efficiency of top product will be smaller.
When the density of bottom product is larger, the separation efficiency of bottom product is
larger.

Theoretically, as the ratio of water to oil increase, the separation efficiency would
increase with higher water content. The variation of water will have an impact on the viscosity
and density of well fluids mixture, thus affecting the flow condition in the metering separator,
further influencing the separation efficiency. Increasing water content leads to the decrease of
mixture viscosity, which is beneficial to the flow of mixture in the separator (Bothamley, 2019). 

However, the separation efficiency calculated from the results of our experiment does not
follow the theoretically way. The overall separation efficiency is the highest when ratio of water
to oil is 1.5:1, which recorded the efficiency of 97.07%. The separation efficiency drops to
85.38% when the ratio is 2:1, and increase again to 94.65% when the ratio is 2.5:1. This happens
because the oil-water mixture from the last experiment stuck in the disc bowl centrifuge, causing
the separation process to be incomplete.

Conclusion
In conclusion, disc bowl centrifuge is a great device and uses a good technique namely,
centrifugal force in order to separate two different solutions with different densities though a few
improvement can be done in order to improve the efficiency of the separation. The disc bowl
centrifuge working principle was understood, the separation of heavy phase liquid was
demonstrated, the effect of product type as throughput was demonstrated and the separation
efficiency was calculated in this experiment.

References

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separator/index.jsp
 Bothamley, M. (2019). Quantifying Oil/Water Separation Performance in Three-Phase
Separators—Part 1. Retrieved 16 July 2019, from https://spe.org/en/print-article/?
art=2830
 Talley, L., Pickard, G., Emery, W., & Swift, J. (2011). Dynamical Processes for
Descriptive Ocean Circulation. Descriptive Physical Oceanography, 1-72. doi:
10.1016/b978-0-7506-4552-2.10019-8
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