The Tubular Centrifuge Working Principle: How Is It Working?

The tubular bowl centrifuge is a centrifugal separation equipment with a high separation factor. This type of machine is commonly used in industrial settings for solid-liquid and liquid-liquid-solid separations. The tubular bowl centrifuge is easy to use, produces a lot of juice, takes up little room, and separates materials effectively. Its specialty is low concentration, high viscosity, fine solid particles, and small solid-liquid specific gravity difference solid-liquid separation.

Unlike conventional centrifuges, tubular centrifuges feature a slim rotating bowl that operates at very high speeds, allowing efficient separation of fine particles that are difficult to process with standard equipment. Understanding the tubular centrifuge working principle helps users select the right separation technology for their applications.

Tubular Centrifuge Working Principle

The working principle of a tubular centrifuge is based on centrifugal sedimentation.

The separation process can be divided into several steps.

1. Feeding Process

The liquid mixture enters the centrifuge through the feed inlet and flows into the center of the rotating tubular bowl.

The feed may contain:

• Suspended solids
• Microalgae biomass
• Biological cells
• Fine particles
• Two immiscible liquids

The continuous feeding process allows stable separation during operation.

2. High-Speed Rotation Generates Centrifugal Force

After entering the bowl, the mixture is exposed to extremely high rotational speed.

The rotating bowl creates centrifugal force, which can be thousands of times stronger than gravity.

The centrifugal force pushes materials according to their density:

• Heavy particles move outward toward the bowl wall.
• Lighter liquid remains closer to the center.

The greater the density difference and centrifugal force, the more efficient the separation.

3. Solid-Liquid Separation

During rotation, solid particles gradually accumulate on the inner wall of the tubular bowl. The concentrated biomass can then be collected for further processing.

Applications include:

• Chlorella production
• Spirulina concentration
• Haematococcus pluvialis harvesting
• Biofuel algae processing

4. Liquid Clarification

While heavier solids move toward the bowl wall, clarified liquid moves toward the center area and exits through the liquid outlet.

This produces:

• Cleaner liquid phase
• Reduced suspended solids
• Improved product quality

For industries requiring high purity separation, tubular centrifuges provide excellent clarification performance.

Types Of Tubular Bowl Centrifuge

The GF tubular centrifuge is a high-speed solid-bowl type machine that can continuously separate two immiscible liquids with different densities. Separating a tiny amount of contaminants from liquids is another common use for this centrifuge.

A powerful centrifugal force field is created as the bowl spins rapidly around its axis, thanks to the transmission belt and tension wheel that transfer power from the motor to the driven wheel. The material goes into a liquid inlet at the base of the drum. As the tubular bowl centrifuge spins, the dense liquid flows to the top of the bowl and out the top, while the less dense liquid forms an inner ring and goes to the liquid outlets there. Minor particles Once the machine is turned off, it is manually emptied from the bowl after it has settled on the wall.

GQ Tubular Bowl

A high-speed solid bowl-type machine is ideal for continuously removing solids from liquids with density differences, and the GQ continuous tubular centrifuge is just that. The parts that make it up are the body, the gearbox, the bowl, and the bearing seat that allows liquid to enter the liquid collection plate. A flexible main shaft occupies the upper half of the bowl, while a damping floating bearing occupies the lower half.

The material is introduced at the bottom through the liquid inlet as the bowl spins rapidly around its axis, creating a powerful centrifugal force field, thanks to the transmission belt that transfers power from the tension pulley to the passive pulley. Centrifugal force causes the particles in the liquid phase to move through the solid phase. The sediment layer forms as the solid phase, which is denser than the liquid phase, settles to the inside of the bowl over time, and the clarified liquid is released through the top valve. After the process is shut down, manually remove the sediment from the bowl wall if its thickness impacts the clarity of the liquid phase or reaches the rated slag capacity of the bowl.

Benefits of Tubular Centrifuge Machine

There are a lot of situations where the continuous tubular centrifuge is better than other separation methods because of all the benefits it provides. Here are a few of the main advantages:

High Efficiency

Even in complicated mixtures, the components can be quickly and efficiently separated using their large sedimentation area and high rotational speed.

Saving Energy

Because of their low initial investment and high potential for future use, numerous sectors highly prized them. You can save money on consumables by washing and reusing the tubular bowl centrifuge tubes.

Compact Design

The machine's small footprint makes it easy to incorporate into preexisting process lines and conserves precious floor space in manufacturing facilities.

Ease of Maintenance

The machines are easy to operate and maintain because of their simple design with few moving parts. They cut down on operational expenses and downtime thanks to their long service life and low maintenance requirements.

Ongoing Function

It runs continuously, unlike batch centrifuges, which means more throughput and better product quality every time.

Low Cost

Many industries find them worthwhile investments due to their cost-effectiveness and repeatability. The consumables cost can be reduced because the tubular bowl centrifuge tubes can be easily cleaned and reused.

Applications Of Tubular Centrifuge 

Because of their small size, efficiency, and adaptability, tubular centrifuges find use in many different fields and applications. Here are a few important uses:

Pharmaceutical Sector

Vaccines, antibiotics, and other biopharmaceutical goods rely on it heavily. They aid in the purification process by removing cells, cell debris, and other contaminants from the product stream.

Food and Beverage Industry

The food and beverage industry commonly uses clarifying juices, wines, and other products. They aid in the process of clarifying the product by removing solids like fruit pulp and yeast.

Manufacturing of Chemicals

The chemical industry uses continuous tubular centrifuges to separate various types of liquid-liquid and liquid-solid mixtures, including water and oil.

Environmental Applications

Centrifuges have many uses in the environmental field, including sludge dewatering and wastewater treatment. For more effective garbage disposal and water recycling, they aid in separating solid pollutants from water.

Conclusion

To get the most out of your centrifuge investment and ensure it serves your research needs for years to come, it's important to do some preliminary research and comprehensively evaluate your present and future application needs. To make all your research easy, buy your centrifuge products of all types and the highest quality from Shenzhou Machinery! We have years of experience in high-quality machinery builds! So trust your machines with your work.