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Alfa Laval BD 95 Separator

The Alfa Laval range of centrifuges for the vegetable and animal oils refining industries is continuously updated to incorporate the advantages of current developments in materials, mechanical design and fluid dynamics. The BD 95 (BDPX 718CGV-14CERY/CERX) is a version of one of the units specially developed for biodiesel production. It is the second-largest machine in this range and is ATEX approved. It comes in two versions for two different process stages.

Applications

• Separation of methyl ester and glycerol – BD 95X
• Washing of methyl ester – BD 95Y

Performance

The BD 95 is designed for a plant producing biodiesel fuel from up to 800 tons/day of vegetable oil. Below shows nominal capacities. Actual throughputs vary according to the type of oil to be treated.

Methyl ester/glycerol separation – 46,000 l/h
Methyl ester washing – 42,000 l/h

Standard design

The machine consists of a frame with a base that contains a horizontal drive shaft, worm gear, lubricating oil bath, and hollow vertical bowl spindle. The bowl is fixed on top of the spindle, inside the space formed by the upper part of the frame, the solids collecting cover, and the frame hood. The hood carries the liquid discharge system. All parts in contact with the process liquid are made of stainless steel.

The bowl is a solids ejecting disc type, with an automatic hydraulic operating system for “shooting”. The flameproof, standard electric motor is suitable for variable frequency drive. The BD 95X is designed for use in ATEX zones 1 and 2. The BD 95Y is designed for use in ATEX Zone 2, non-flammable process liquid.

Design features

The BD 95 is based on a unique, semi-hermetic design concept. The hermetic, bottom-fed inlet ensures a gentle, non-destructive acceleration of the feedstock up to full bowl BD 95 speed. The outlets on the heavy and light phases are open, reducing the pressure drop across the separator. The feed pressure requirement of the machine is therefore low. The outlets are equipped with stationary paring discs for removal of the different phases under pressure. With the working environment in mind, the BD 95 is designed to operate at low noise levels. This is achieved by means of a rubber-damped bearing assembly, jacketed frame and an outer bowl design engineered for low wind noise.

Standard equipment

Each BD 95 comes complete with control unit, flameproof electric motor, inlet and outlet connections, auxiliary equipment, a spare parts kit and a set of tools.

Operating principles

The process liquid to be separated is fed (1) into the separator bowl from the bottom through a hollow spindle (2), and enters the disc stack (3). The heavy phase and heavy sludge are forced towards the periphery of the bowl, while the light methyl ester phase flows towards the centre of the bowl, from where it is pumped out (4) for further processing. The heavy phase is led over a top disc (5) into a chamber where a paring device pumps it out of the separator (6). Sludge collects in the sludge space (7) and is discharged intermittently and automatically. The discharge is achieved by a hydraulic system, which at preset suitable intervals forces the sliding bowl bottom (8) to drop down, thereby opening the sludge ports at the bowl periphery. The sludge is collected in the frame, and leaves the centrifuge via a cyclone.

Utilities consumption

ATEX design codes

Material data

Dimensions

Technical Specifications