Finely dispersed suspensions occur as intermediate or end products in many processes in the chemical, pharmaceutical and minerals processing industry. Continuous solid-bowl decanter centrifuges are frequently used for solid-liquid separation. The mathematical description of the cylindrical and conical parts is necessary in order to be able to predict the solids content profile of finely dispersed cake in decanter centrifuges. The reason for this is the influence of the transport behavior on the residence time of the compressed cake in the apparatus. As a result of the inadequate choice of process conditions, the formed sediment accumulates in the cylindrical part, the transportability of the sediment is influenced negatively and the process may succumb completely.

In this presentation a dynamic model for the simulation of the mechanical dewatering of a finely dispersed product in the conical part of the decanter centrifuge will be discussed...