Industrial centrifuge in upstate SC? - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

exbrown · 06-13-2011, 01:30

I am considering the purchase of an industrial centrifuge to clean various used oils.

Anyone interested in discussing a joint venture or LLP?

Ferroequinologist · 06-13-2011, 10:25

How big are we talking?

exbrown · 06-13-2011, 11:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ferroequinologist

How big are we talking?

10gpm - self cleaning.

Larger if necessary.

Chief_919 · 06-13-2011, 11:32

Not much for an ownership stake that far away, but if you get it up and going I would be interested in renting time on it or doing an exchange- say dropping off 150 gallons of oil for 100 gallons of cleaned stuff.

dodgedougak · 06-13-2011, 11:39

exbrown- If you do this, just be careful who you let work on it. I run AlfaLaval centrifuges on ships and they are wonderful machines. They also spin at 20,000 RPM or so, depending on type and application. The bowl assemblies can weight 300 lbs or so. If put together wrong or imbalanced, they explode like grenades! They are sensitive to and have to be set up for the viscosity of the liquid you are processing. Use the wrong gravity ring and you will not get a good oil/water seperation. They require regular cleaning of the discs to remove the seperated dirt and gunk. IMHO they are the best method to remove dirt and water from oil.....that being said they are not a hand's off system like a filter and can be dangerous if not set up and maintained correctly.

exbrown · 06-13-2011, 12:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodgedougak

exbrown- If you do this, just be careful who you let work on it. I run AlfaLaval centrifuges on ships and they are wonderful machines. They are sensitive to and have to be set up for the viscosity of the liquid you are processing. .....that being said they are not a hand's off system like a filter and can be dangerous if not set up and maintained correctly.

Thanks for the heads up!

I have worked with centrifuges at the nuclear plant I work at, so I am not going into this with no idea what I am getting into. I do have a lot to learn.

I do not plan on it being a hands off system. I will not set up the auto desludge cycle, but have someone monitor it and perform this manually. I also plan on separate centrifuges for different oils due to the viscosity.

For processing bulk amounts of oil, it is the only way to go.

dodgedougak · 06-13-2011, 22:03

Jay- sounds like you have a good base of knowledge for this project. I have not used anything but AlfaLaval's for over 30 years now. the Mapx series are great machines. I have though about getting one of those cute little ones (is it a 102?) myself. I agree a CoOp type thing might be good, as long as the operators are all up to speed on operation and maintenance. I just wanted all involved to be aware of the serious nature of running these great seperators.

exbrown · 02-14-2012, 17:02

I recently purchased an Alfa Laval centrifuge. I hope to get it up and running here soon. I will report back on how well it is working.

Blind Driver · 03-08-2012, 13:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by exbrown

I recently purchased an Alfa Laval centrifuge. I hope to get it up and running here soon. I will report back on how well it is working.

Do you have a link to the unit you bought?

exbrown · 03-12-2012, 16:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blind Driver

Do you have a link to the unit you bought?

It is a Alfa Laval WSB-104. Very similar to a MAB-104. These centrifuges are normally used to clean coolant or machine oil.

What kind of link are you looking for?