Alfa Laval Centrifuge Systems

Alfa Laval centrifuges separate tramp oil and fine sediment from water-based machining coolants. These are flow-through disc stack centrifuges for continuous separation of industrial coolants.

A 3-phase centrifuge is specially configured as a machining coolant centrifuge. These centrifuges extend the usable life of water-soluble cutting fluids & synthetic coolants.

The liquid-liquid separation feature separates the tramp oil from the coolant. The liquid-solid separation effect removes the fine metal particles as disposable sludge.

The image above shows an Alfa Laval metalworking coolant centrifuge skid. It is a durable solution for large volume, continuous separation of machine coolant.

Our industrial centrifuge blog has detailed articles about coolant processing with our centrifuges.

Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuges separate fine metal particles from cutting oil. These centrifuges generate a very high centrifugal force. This ‘g-force’ allows them to clean the oil to a high degree.

When installed in a ‘kidney-loop,’ the centrifuge keeps the contaminant at a low level in the cutting oil reservoir.

Dolphin Centrifuge has supplied small and large-scale centrifuges to manufacturers.

The image shows a 20 GPM Alfa Laval disc stack centrifugal separator. This module was for recycling Mobilmet 766, cutting lubricant at an auto supplier.

Wire drawing is a metalworking process to reduce the cross-section of the wire. Manufacturers pull the wire through a series of dies with reduced hole sizes. Lubricating oil reduced the process friction.

Metal, rust, and scale particles contaminate the lubricant in the drawing process. Filters are not practical in such applications due to the small size of particles.

An Alfa Laval centrifuge (with a ‘self-cleaning’ bowl) purifies the lubricant oil. It cleans the oil by removing metal particles down to 0.5µ size.

The centrifuge skid shown above is a ‘turn-key' module manufactured by Dolphin Centrifuge. It uses an Alfa Laval centrifuge to purify draw oil for an aluminum wire manufacturer.

Quenching oil has inherent heat-treating properties. Hardening ability, heat resistance, thermal stability, etc., to name a few.

Contamination of quenching oil causes these properties to degrade over time. This degradation leads to product quality issues and the replenishment of costly quenching oil.

Alfa Laval self-cleaning clarifier centrifuges separate the solid contaminants from quenching oil. These centrifuges also remove R&O and coarse resin particles, allowing the reuse of the quenching oil. This recycling process extends the usable life of heat-treating oils.

Dolphin Centrifuge designed and manufactured the Alfa Laval centrifuge module shown above. A heat treatment supplier in the Midwest uses this system at present to reclaim their quench oil.

Want to learn more about disc stack centrifuge? We have condensed our 40+ years of experience into 101 Frequently asked questions about Disc Stack Centrifuge!

Electric transformers use mineral oil as the dielectric insulation medium. The oil provides insulation and keeps the coil windings from overheating within the transformer.

Transformer oil deteriorates over time, which causes it to lose its properties leading to reduced efficiency and frequent breakdowns. Rust, oxidation, and moisture are the main contaminants that degrade transformer oil.

A transformer oil centrifuge is an industrial centrifuge that removes moisture and particle contaminants from the oil. A three-phase liquid-liquid-solid centrifuge uses extremely high g-force (over 7,000 Gs) to separate the entrapped water and fine particles down to a 1-micron level in a single pass.

Stamped and machined parts are water-washed to remove manufacturing debris and oils. Oils and metal solids saturate industrial wash water, making it unusable.

An Alfa Laval, 3-phase, disc stack centrifuge is the solution! It removes the metal debris and oils in a one-step process. Reclaimed wash water is reusable instead of sent for disposal.

A wash-water centrifuge is an Alfa Laval industrial centrifuge configured as a concentrator. It concentrates small quantities of residual oil from the water. Its self-cleaning design allows it to separate particles down to 0.5-Micron level.

The module displayed above shows an Alfa Laval WSPX 303 centrifuge. It processes 5 GPM of washer fluid in a closed-loop washing system at an auto-supplier.

WVO's heating, decanting, and filtration are costly and labor-intensive. Especially for large-scale processing of WVO and similar used oils.

Industrial centrifuges are ideal for continuously separating water and sludge from WVO. WVO could be in the form of grease trap waste, yellow grease, used cooking oil, etc.

Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuges are often used for separating solids and water from WVO. These fully-automatic machines are set up for flow-through separation of water and sludge from WVO.

The Alfa Laval ‘self-cleaning’, 3-phase centrifuge system shown above processes WVO at 3~5 GPM on WVO at 180F.

Please read our latest blog post about large-scale WVO processing with an industrial centrifuge.

Waste oils (used motor oil, hydraulic oil, lube oil, etc.) are reusable. They are often reused as stock for black diesel, regenerated engine oil, etc. They are also used as fuel as in fuel oil and other heating applications.

Waste oil has water and sludge as primary contaminants. Separation of these contaminants is essential before the reuse of waste oil.

Heating and settling are not economical for the large-scale processing of waste oil. A continuous mechanical separator is well suited for this application.

An Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuge separates all particles (sludge) down to 0.5 microns and all free water. This separation is a concurrent process separating all 3 phases, i.e., oil, water, and sludge.

A disc-stack centrifuge is also able to break emulsified waste oil. Some demulsifying chemicals are recommended if the emulsion is caused by chemical bonding.

Dolphin Centrifuge designed and manufactured the displayed industrial centrifuge package. This system purifies used engine oil from water and sludge at 60 GPM.

Please read our blog about removing heavy metals and ash from used engine oil.

Also, read our Alfa Laval Centrifuge Selection Guide.

Sludge often contaminates industrial and municipal wastewater. Oil or hydrocarbon is present as the third phase in some cases. Sludge thickening is the concentration of sludge from large volumes of wastewater.

This type of separation is not an application for filters or other static media separation technology.

A decanter centrifuge is a heavy-duty mechanical separator using high centrifugal force. It is efficient for sludge thickening at an industrial scale. As an extra advantage, it does not need labor involvement. It is the separation device of choice for all municipal and industrial wastewater treatment.

Dolphin Centrifuge is an experienced manufacturer of wastewater centrifuge systems. This complete dewatering system shown above is a Sharples P3000 decanter with a clean water tank, feed pump, and other accessories. With a 4000 RPM bowl speed, this decanter can process 40 GPM of wastewater with up to 40% sludge.

Solvents are the medium of choice to extract CBD oil from hemp. Ethanol and hydrocarbon solvents extract the oil from the hemp plant matter.

Separating biomass from the hemp solvent mix is challenging for CBD oil production. Effective biomass separation is essential for downstream cannabinoid recovery.

Filters, filter presses, and screw presses are labor-intensive. These are only suitable for small-volume batch processing.

A decanter centrifuge is efficient for the continuous separation of solvent from hemp biomass, especially in large-volume production applications.

Dolphin Centrifuge has been working with large-scale CBD Oil manufacturers. Our efforts are towards maximizing solvent extraction efficiency using centrifuges.

Alfa Laval decanter centrifuges have demonstrated efficiency for hemp biomass solvent separation. Decanter centrifuges for this application need to be stainless steel, food grade, and explosion-proof.

Similar centrifuge equipment is also ideal for separating THC from Cannabis biomass.

The photograph above shows an Alfa Laval NX 314 hemp solvent separation decanter. This decanter can process 20 GPM on biomass solvent separation applications in the mid-west. 20 GPM translates to 3000 Lbs/Hour of dry hemp stock at a 30% solvent mix ratio.

Click here for details on using an industrial centrifuge as a Hemp Solvent Biomass Separator.

Solvent discharge from the hemp biomass separation step contains suspended organic matter. These include waxes, lips, and other small plant matter. Removal of these suspended organics is essential before distillation to CBD Oil.

These organics are traditionally separated by filtration. But sticky waxes and lipids plug up filters.

Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuges replace filters to separate waxes and lipids. These are mechanical separation machines without replaceable media and continuous separators with a flow-through design. These centrifugal separators exert over 8,000 Gs of force to separate particles as small as 1 micron.

The system displayed here is an Alfa Laval BRPX 213, food-grade disc stack centrifuge. It has all stainless steel fluid contact with a processing capacity of 60 GPM on Ethanol clarification.

Diesel is the most common fuel used. From transportation to power generation, diesel is the fuel of choice.

Condensed moisture and tank seepage water contaminate stored diesel fuel. Additionally, microbes, rust sediment, and other forms of sludge contaminate diesel.

A diesel centrifuge separates all free water and sludge from the diesel fuel. Unlike filters, a centrifuge does not use replaceable filters or media.

A ‘self-cleaning’ stack disc centrifuge Alfa Laval centrifuge is often the remedy. A centrifuge ensures clean diesel when installed in a re-circulation loop on the storage tank.

Dolphin manufactured the duplex centrifuge skid shown above. This explosion-proof centrifuge skid maintains clean diesel on an offshore gas platform.

Case study on using a Diesel Fuel Purifier on a large scale.

Fuel oil is a cheap fuel used to run large engines at cogeneration power plants and ships. Engine manufacturers stipulate high purity level HFO, which ensures efficient and reliable operation of the plant.

Fuel oil procured from non-reliable sources often has high levels of water and solids. Also, stored fuel oil accumulates water and rust contaminants.

Alfa Laval centrifugal separators purify the fuel oil to remove sludge and water. HFO is then ready to feed the engine for reliable performance.

A power utility in Latin America wanted to convert their diesel engines to operate on Heavy Fuel Oil. Dolphin supplied a ‘plug-n-play’ fuel oil purification module shown above.

The system included an Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuge with accessories. Accessories included in-line electric heaters and high-pressure pumps to ease the use of HFO instead of diesel. Reducing the viscosity & increasing the supply pressure to the engine allow this substitution.

The operational cost savings by switching fuels justified the cost of the centrifuge system.

Lubricating oil is the lifeline of a power plant engine or turbine. Condensation and bearing wear particles are the primary impurities in all lube oils.

Contaminated lube oil leads to premature equipment failure, leading to unanticipated downtime and unplanned maintenance.

Lube oil conditioning modules maintain moisture and particle contamination to an acceptable level. This clean lube oil reduces downtime and improves equipment reliability.

The image of a small lube oil conditioner from Dolphin Centrifuge shows. This module has a small footprint and is supplied with castors to offer mobility. This explosion-proof centrifuge cart is suitable for hazardous areas.

Hydraulic oil is the power transmission fluid in industrial fluid-powered machinery.

Hydraulic oil tends to accumulate particle contamination over time. These particles lead to premature wear and failure of critical machinery using hydraulic oil. Extrusion press hydraulic oil contamination remediation is critical to reducing unanticipated failures.

The easiest way to extend machinery life is to continuously remove small particles from the hydraulic oil.

An industrial disc stack centrifuge is ideal for removing fine particulates from hydraulic oil. The disc stack centrifuge generates the highest centrifugal forces (among conventional centrifuges).

It removes all particles down to 0.5 microns and free water (if any). Water removal is an added benefit of Alfa Laval 3-phase centrifuges.

The above system features an Alfa Laval 5 GPM, self-cleaning disc stack centrifuge. This centrifuge bowl rotates at 8000 RPM.

Algae is the new biofuel of interest. Algae cell harvesting requires processing a large volume of water to concentrate small amounts of algae cells.

Algae cells are microscopic, and their specific gravity is close to the medium (water). This is a challenging application for any separation process, especially those using media, i.e., filters, presses, etc.

Alfa Laval centrifuges are efficient at commercial-scale harvesting and algae separation. Disc stack centrifuges generate upwards of 7,000 Gs of centrifugal force in the bowl. This centrifugal force is enough to separate the algae cells from water.

Large-capacity centrifugal separators harvest algae on a commercial scale. These systems can process algae-bearing water at up to 150 GPM. Typically these are stainless steel centrifuges with all wetted parts made of 316L stainless steel.

The before and after image shown above is at an algae farm in Thailand. Dolphin Centrifuge supplied an Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuges for algae harvesting at a fisheries plant. The concentrated algae cells are nutritious fish larvae feed.

The chemical reaction of vegetable oil with lye or other caustic agent and alcohol produces Biodiesel. This process is also known as esterification and produces biodiesel and glycerol (glycerin mixed with alcohol).

The dense phase (glycerol) separates from the lighter Biodiesel under gravity. Draining this dense phase produces crude Biodiesel.

This gravity settling is a time-consuming process that also requires extra storage capacity. Also, it does not produce pure Biodiesel.

Alfa Laval centrifuges are a fast and cost-effective way to separate the glycerin from Biodiesel.

Dolphin-modified Alfa Laval centrifuge, especially for Biodiesel separation. These centrifuges produce ASTM-spec Biodiesel without the need for further processing.

The system shown above is a Teflon-coated biodiesel centrifuge system. We manufactured this centrifuge for a domestic biodiesel producer.

The use of methanol for biodiesel production requires special modifications to the disc stack centrifuge, including VITON elastomers in wetted areas and the use of C1 D2 electrical components.

Crude oil from the ground carries salt water, sand, or other sludge. Producers use settling tanks to separate crude oil from Bottom Sediment & Water, also known as BS&W.

‘Tank bottoms’ are the residue left in the settling tanks after the removal of sale oil. Earlier, much oil was lost with the tank bottoms. Recovery of his oil can is extra revenue for the producer.

An Alfa Laval industrial centrifuge is a cost-effective solution for tank bottom processing to recover sale oil. It uses centrifugal force to separate the tank bottom sludge from the oil.

Alfa Laval 3-phase centrifuge also separates water from the oil. This process delivers clean crude oil with less than 0.5% BSW.

Dolphin Centrifuge has designed an engineered solution for efficient, low-cost crude oil recovery. Our containerized Oil Recovery System (click the image above) is a ‘self-contained’ packaged module. It is for remote field applications to process tank bottoms and recover sale oil with less than 0.1% BS&W.

Crude oil centrifuges are also used at Salt Water Disposals for produced water separation. Please read our detailed crude oil tank bottom recovery blog article for more information.