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A containerized industrial centrifuge is an industrial centrifuge that is installed or housed within an intermodal shipping container. This module is a fully self-contained system with plug-and-play functionality. The enclosure includes all the accessories required to operate the industrial centrifuge.
Though it is possible to containerize most industrial centrifuges, the decanter and disc-stack type centrifuges are the most common. These centrifuges are ideal for containerization due to their applicability in remote applications.
Due to its low profile, a decanter centrifuge is well suited for installation within a container. These containerized decanters are typically equipped with sludge augers to transfer the separated sludge outside the container into sludge hoppers or transport trucks.
Small fluid collection and transfer systems with pumps and level sensors facilitate fluid handling.
The following is a list of features common to containerized decanters:
Other accessories, such as explosion-proof controls, pre-filtration, inert gas purging, etc., may apply depending on the application.
It is not as simple to containerize a disc stack centrifuge due to its vertical orientation.
However, it is possible to design a compact base that allows the containerization of a disc stack centrifuge. Due to the design differences and the decanter centrifuge, a disc-stack centrifuge needs additional accessories.
A disc stack centrifuge discharges the sludge vertically downwards under gravity, which requires a sludge receptacle below the centrifuge. The separated fluids are often under pressure coming out of the centrifuge. Therefore the centrifuge can transfer these fluids to a local collection tank within the container.
The following is a list of accessories that accompany a containerized disc-stack centrifuge:
Additional accessories such as electric preheaters, pre, and post-filters, heat recovery systems, lighting, etc., often accompany containerized disc centrifuges.
Containerized industrial centrifuges are available in different configurations based on application and fluid properties. For straightforward applications such as dewatering crude oil with no solids, a three-phase disc stack centrifuge in a container serves the purpose of water oil separation.
On the other hand, a multi-step separation process requires a decanter and disc centrifuge with other accessories for desirable results. As described below, containerized centrifuges are primarily available as a complete soup-to-nuts system or with an individual centrifuge.
An Oil Recovery System (ORS) is a complete plant housed in a 40’ container with all needed components to process sludge-laden, wet oil and produce clean oil. The system includes a pre-strainer, a decanter centrifuge, and a high-speed disc-stack centrifuge that serves as a polisher.
The flow diagram below shows the containerized oil recovery system.
The system consists of three interconnected modules, each with a specific purpose. These modules are:
A container may house an individual centrifuge for specific applications, such as diesel centrifuges close to generators. The complete centrifuge module may be placed within the container and anchored to the container floor.
An integrated single centrifuge container may have controls, piping, valves, etc., along the container wall, making it a permanent fixture.
The photograph below shows one such integrated, single centrifuge container suitable for Class 1 Division 2 hazardous area operations.
One can find applications for these modular centrifuges in a variety of fields. Some of the typical applications that Dolphin Centrifuge has supplied are listed below.
In remote locations, the absence of permanent buildings makes a containerized centrifuge unit ideal for such applications. The absence of essential utilities is also a challenge for such applications.
For example, a generator for powering the centrifuge module is necessary for operation. Also, freshwater for the operation of disc-stack centrifuges is a requirement that the operator needs to provide.
Storage tanks for clean oil and separated waste streams help efficiently operate such centrifuges in remote locations.
Offshore platforms’ initial designs plan for specific fluid processing operations and capacity requirements. However, in the case of capacity augmentation, the space constraints on existing platforms often necessitate using self-sufficient containerized centrifuge modules with plug-and-play features.
These industrial centrifuge modules often process onboard diesel fuel for power generation and cleaning waste fluid generated on such platforms.
Fluid recovery service providers travel to customer locations to process contaminated fluids with industrial centrifuges. This service is popular with industries that do not have the resources to own their centrifuges.
A containerized industrial centrifuge is mobile and well suited for such service providers. Such containers often contain decanters, disc centrifuges, and auxiliaries such as heaters, pumps, and vacuum dehydrators.
Crude oil dewatering at saltwater disposal facilities is another such application. A service provider with a containerized industrial centrifuge can dewater and desludge the crude oil as a service to the well owners.
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Containerized industrial centrifuges offer multiple advantages to owners and users of modular centrifuge systems. The following is a list of advantages of these systems.
Compared to conventional setups, a containerized industrial system is relatively quick to set up and operate. This time advantage is due to the self-contained system and not requiring a building to house the centrifuges.
Building construction is often the most prolonged activity related to a new installation of industrial centrifuges. A containerized centrifuge system is ready to process fluids when placed on site.
As referenced in the previous feature, the cost of a building to house this sort of equipment is considerable. This cost is avoidable with a containerized centrifuge system, leading to considerable cost savings.
A containerized industrial centrifuge module is self-contained and therefore does not require existing infrastructure. This feature allows the use of these modules in remote locations where such infrastructure is unavailable.
Industrial centrifuges often process hazardous fluids that require special handling and specially designed equipment for such locations.
An enclosed container sometimes acts as an enclosure with proper ventilation to contain such emissions that can otherwise be hazardous.
Housing industrial centrifuges within containers come with its limitations or disadvantages. Some of the most common disadvantages are listed below.
A shipping container is typically 8 feet wide and 9 feet tall. This space is quite restrictive for fluid processing equipment such as centrifuges that require fluid storage.
The user can accommodate small capacity tanks (~300 gallons) within these containers to act as capacity buffers between centrifuges. However, these tanks are small compared to industrial centrifuges in regular industrial environments and require special flow considerations.
A shipping container is, by definition, a confined space. Installation of centrifuge equipment within a container limits the space available for the operators for service. Special consideration is given to the extraction and servicing of the bowls of industrial centrifuges.
This space limitation also applies to the placement of auxiliary equipment and control systems that need to be sometimes tucked into small spaces, leading to complications in constructing these containers.
The light ends (volatile) present in crude oil tend to evaporate at slightly elevated temperatures. Such fumes pose an operational risk for the operating personnel.
Therefore, proper ventilation is essential to safely operate such containerized industrial centrifuge modules.
In addition to venting, inert gas purging is also available to purge the equipment with an inert gas to lower the risk posed by such volatile and often flammable vapors.
Hazardous area installation will mandate the use of approved venting systems that are certified for such operating conditions.
Industrial centrifuges are rotating machines that generate noise during regular operation. From an operator's safety perspective, this noise is a design consideration within confined spaces such as containers.
Noise protection devices are mandatory for operators during the regular operation of such containerized systems.
Using these containerized systems in extreme environments requires heating or cooling equipment to facilitate a safe working environment. This HVAC equipment can be a considerable cost adder to such equipment's purchase and operating cost, which is a drawback of these systems.
Containerized industrial centrifuges designed and manufactured by Dolphin Centrifuge have certain specifications depending on the size of the container, the scope of supply, and the type of centrifuges included in the module.
A containerized decanter centrifuge fits within a 20’ or 40’ intermodal shipping container. A 40' containerized decanter has the following specifications.
| System Dimension | 40' x 8' x 9' (H) |
| System Weight | 20,000 Lbs |
| Power | 480 VAC; Up to 500 Amps with Heaters |
| Auxiliaries Required | External Storage & Transfer Tanks Lifting Device (for bowl service) Operating Water (for disc stack centrifuge operation & decanter bowl flush) Compressed Air (100 psig) for AODD Pumps & AA-Valves |
| Processing Capacity | Up to 2 Barrels Per Minute (light crude oil) |
| Max. Process Heaters | Up to 300 kW of Electric Pre-Heaters |
| Electrical Classifications | Class 1 Div 2 or Div 1 based on process fluid and environment. |