Filter Press: how does a filter press work?
- Posted on: 12 October 2021
Matec manufactures high-tech filter presses to achieve the best results in industrial sludge dewatering. All Matec filter presses are designed to be used with HPT technology (High Pressure Technology) that is able to work at both working pressures common to all filter presses, 5-7 bar, and at high pressures close to or higher than 16-21 bar. This is possible thanks to the highly specialized design of our machines and the use of components of the highest quality and engineering level such as hydraulic power units and pistons, oversized chassis structures and high pressure pumps.
How does a filter press work?
The hydraulic power unit is the part involved in closing the plates and keeps them closed up to a pressure of 350 bar to resist the thrust created by the sludge feed pump.
The cycle of the filter press begins with the pressurization of the entire mobile structure composed of the various plates that are joined together to create hermetically sealed chambers where the sludge to be dewatered will collect.
Once the plates are all tightened, the filter press feed pump starts filling the chambers.
The pump sucks the sludge from the homogenization tank and pushes it into the chambers formed by the plates. Filling control is always done by two speeds, filling and dewatering, through a self-programming inverter to reach the desired pressures.
The sludge fills the plates one by one, thanks to the pressure the solid particles are retained by the filtering cloths while the water passes through them and is recovered by the drainage channels.
In the case of difficult materials such as clays, Matec is able to press the slabs up to 21 bar using HPT technology. Once the sludge has been filtered and all the water has been recovered, the filter press ends its cycle when the probe in the collection basin no longer senses the presence of water and consequently stops the feed pump.
Once the complete dehydration of the lumps has been reached, the plate pack is opened and the sludge that has formed dry lumps with very low residual moisture precipitates ready to be disposed of.
The perfectly formed dry cakes fall out of the press automatically, immediately leaving the cloths clean and ready for the next cycle.
The opening is done in one go or in groups of 10 plates by using the TT2Fast system which guarantees to limit the length of the filter press especially in models with more than 50 TT (total traction) plates.
In order to ensure and guarantee the detachment of all plates, MATEC filter presses install the patented Gasser Shaker system that automatically shakes the plates. MATEC’s technology and excellent components allow for simple and effective management of the plant by means of a PLC with a special Touch Screen that displays all the available options, filtration times as well as the cubic meters produced in an hour or during a day.
Matec, maintaining the simplicity of its machines, guarantees perfect functioning thanks to more than 20 types of controls and alarms to prevent any kind of failure or plant stoppage.
What are the advantages of a MATEC filter press?
The final result of using MATEC’s filter presses is to have perfectly compact sludge with residual humidity lower than 16% -25% in the aggregates and marble sector and up to 8% in the mining sector, guaranteeing at the same time completely purified water ready for reuse.
