Sludge Dewatering
Archer Separation Provides Decanter Centrifuges, Helping Your Facility Capture or Dispose the Solids from Wastewater Sludge!
Archer Separation partners with industry-leading manufacturers such as HAUS Centrifuge Technologies to give water treatment and other facilities the sludge dewatering solutions they need, most often built around a decanter centrifuge. A decanter centrifuge can significantly lower processing, recovery and disposal costs, while achieving the highest dry solids among sludge dewatering technologies.
Generic flowsheet for illustration. Every Archer system is designed to its own basis; ask us for one drawn for your plant.
Reasons to install a decanter centrifuge for sludge dewatering.
Why sludge dewatering matters
Sludge dewatering asks a lot of the facilities that have to reclaim or dispose of the solids. Wet solids are hard to process and expensive to get rid of, and the costs and complications mount quickly. In other cases the solids are valuable and can be reused, but only if the dewatering equipment captures them efficiently.
How a decanter centrifuge dewaters sludge
A decanter centrifuge is the most efficient and powerful choice for sludge dewatering, or for any process that separates liquids from solids. It generates high centrifugal force, often up to 5000 G, which drives a constant, forceful separation of the feed into a thoroughly separated output.
In sludge dewatering, the decanter produces a dewatered “cake” of up to 50% dry solids, ideal both for reclaiming the solids and for disposal.
Reasons to install a decanter centrifuge for sludge dewatering
The advantages of a decanter centrifuge for sludge dewatering are considerable.
Constant processing
Lower labour costs, higher throughput and greater efficiency. A filter press is batch-based: each batch has to be pressed, emptied and refilled, and the press needs a separate, costly installation to receive and convey the cake. A decanter centrifuge processes sludge and discharges the cake in a continuous flow, with all the necessary components built into the machine.
Disposal options
The dry cake gives operators several options, which matters where disposal rules depend on the region or the site. The cake can be conveyed elsewhere in the facility, composted, or trucked away for disposal, depending on the sludge and the needs of the plant.
Less chemicals
A filter press often needs heavy chemical conditioning to capture the solids, and descaling afterwards. A decanter centrifuge captures the solids with far less added chemistry, so fewer chemicals end up in your discharge, which can reduce BOD and COD fees where they apply. After all, removing chemicals and solids is the reason you treat the sludge in the first place.
More with less
A decanter centrifuge is much smaller than the alternatives, so it fits a wider range of buildings and takes less floor space; some facilities even save on land. Archer Separation brings decades of experience in selecting the size, type and settings of your dewatering system, and stays with you every step of the way.
No-fuss maintenance
A decanter centrifuge runs on its own with minimal operator supervision. It is among the lowest-maintenance sludge dewatering equipment available, with the least labour and upkeep. Properly tuned, which we help you with, it needs only minimal specialized maintenance.
Recover resources
Not all dewatered solids are bound for disposal. Where the solids are valuable, for reuse or as a commodity, the higher dry solids capture of a decanter centrifuge maximizes what you recover, and makes it cheaper and easier to transport.
Reduced transport and disposal costs
A decanter centrifuge can cut transport and disposal costs by up to 80%. The savings can be even greater when the disposal site is close to the centrifuge or the machine is optimized, which is something we specialize in. This blend of efficiency, productivity and ease of operation makes the decanter centrifuge the industry standard for sludge dewatering.
Wide throughput variety
Equipment with a narrower range, such as a filter press, can limit what your facility is able to dewater: the cloths need constant attention, and they decide which sludges dewater well. A decanter centrifuge has no cloth or screen; it separates by sedimentation at high G-force, so it handles all sludge types with the same high dry solids. With no parts to swap, it can be re-tuned for a different feed within the same day, and Archer Separation can even help make these adjustments remotely.
A complete dewatering line
We supply the centrifuge as part of a complete line: sludge feed pump, polymer system, cake conveyor and the control panel that runs them together.
- Bearing temperature and vibration monitored continuously
- Wash-water valve to flush the machine at start-up and shutdown
- Secure remote connection for monitoring and troubleshooting
- Available as a containerized system to buy or rent
Feed and condition
Sludge is pumped to the centrifuge and conditioned with polymer.
Separate
The bowl settles the solids at high G-force; the scroll moves them out.
Convey the cake
A screw conveyor takes the cake to a bin, truck or further processing.
Return the centrate
The clarified centrate returns to the treatment plant.
Archer Separation offers the best equipment and years of experience in tuning it to the conditions you need, in ways other technologies can’t match: a decanter centrifuge gives the best output, the most constant and efficient throughput, and the driest solids. Sludge dewatering is a wide field with intricate needs; browse our equipment pages to see how decanter centrifuge technology fits your process.
One supplier, one dewatering package
Archer can supply the whole dewatering line, not just the centrifuge: decanters, sludge feed pumps with flowmeters, polymer make-down and dosing, cake conveyors to the bin, piping and one control panel, laid out together in 3D.
- Two decanter trains with progressive cavity sludge feed pumps and magnetic flowmeters
- Polymer make-down unit and dosing pumps sized to the solids load
- Inclined screw conveyors carrying cake to the bin
- One control panel for the whole line, with remote monitoring
- Maintenance and lifting zones checked in the 3D model before layout is fixed
Walk through the package: polymer make-down, feed pumps and flowmeters, both decanters and the cake conveyors.
Related pages
Municipal Wastewater Treatment
Decanter centrifuges for municipal sludge.
Decanter Centrifuges
How HAUS decanters work, models and features.
Multi-Disc Screw Press Dehydrators
Another sludge dewatering technology we supply.
Containerized Systems
A complete dewatering plant in a shipping container.
Polymer Systems
Make-down and dosing for sludge conditioning.
Case Studies
Dewatering plants running Archer equipment.
Mining Tailings
Tailings dewatering and process water reuse.
We understand your sludge dewatering, wastewater and waste separation needs, and will meet those needs with the best technology available!
Contact us today with all your separation or dewatering challenges. Call 604.484.4516 or reach us through our online form.