Rotary vacuum-

drum filter

A Rotary Vacuum Filter Drum consists of

a cylindrical filter membrane that is partly
sub-merged in a slurry to be filtered. The
inside of the drum is held lower than the
ambient pressure. As the drum rotates
through the slurry, the liquid is sucked
through the membrane, leaving solids to
cake on the membrane surface while the
drum is submerged. A knife or blade is
positioned to scrape the product from the
surface.[1]

Oliver-type rotary vacuum-drum filter.

The technique is well suited to slurries,

flocculated suspensions, and liquids with
a high solid content, which could clog
other forms of filter. It is common to pre-
coated with a filter aid, typically of
diatomaceous earth (DE) or Perlite. In
some implementations, the knife also cuts
off a small portion of the filter media to
reveal a fresh media surface that will enter
the liquid as the drum rotates. Such
systems advance the knife automatically
as the surface is removed.

Basic fundamentals

Rotary vacuum drum filter

Rotary vacuum drum filter (RVDF),

patented in 1872,[2] is one of the oldest
filters used in the industrial liquid-solids
separation. It offers a wide range of
industrial processing flow sheets and
provides a flexible application of
dewatering, washing and/or clarification.

A rotary vacuum filter consists of a large

rotating drum covered by a cloth. The
drum is suspended on an axial over a
trough containing liquid or solids slurry
with approximately 50-80% of the screen
area immersed in the slurry.

As the drum rotates into and out of the

trough, the slurry is sucked on the surface
of the cloth and rotated out of the liquid or
solids suspension as a cake. When the
cake is rotating out, it is dewatered in the
drying zone. The cake is dry because the
vacuum drum is continuously sucking the
cake and taking the water out of it. At the
final step of the separation, the cake is
discharged as solids products and the
drum rotates continuously to another
separation cycle.

Range of application
Applications:

The rotary filter is most suitable for

continuous operation on large quantities
of slurry.
If the slurry contains considerable
amount of solids, that is, in the range of
 15-30%.
Examples of pharmaceutical
applications include the collection of
calcium carbonate, magnesium
carbonate and starch.
The separation of the mycelia from the
fermentation liquor in the manufacture
of antibiotics.
block and instant yeast production.

Advantages and limitations

The advantages and limitations of rotary

vacuum drum filter compared to other
separation methods are:
Advantages

The rotary vacuum drum filter is a

continuous and automatic operation, so
the operating cost is low.
The variation of the drum speed rotating
can be used to control the cake
thickness.
The process can be easily modified (pre-
coating filter process).
Can produce relatively clean product by
adding a showering device.

Disadvantages

Due to the structure, the pressure

difference is theoretically limited to
atmospheric pressure (1 bar), and in
practice somewhat lower.
Besides the drum, other accessories, for
example, agitators and vacuum pump,
vacuum receivers, slurry pumps are
required.
The discharge cake contains residual
moisture.
The cake tends to crack due to their air
drawn through by the vacuum system,
so that washing and drying are not
efficient.
High energy consumption by the
vacuum pump.
Designs available
Basically there are five types of discharge
that are used for the rotary vacuum drum
filter such as belt, scraper, roll, string and
pre coat discharge.

Belt discharge

The filter cloth is washed on both sides

with each drum rotation while discharging
filter cakes. The products for this
mechanism are usually sticky, wet and thin
thus, requiring the aid of a discharge roll.
Belt discharge is used if slurry with
moderate solid concentration is used or if
the slurry is easy to filter to produce cake
formation or if a longer wear resistance is
desired for the separation of the
mentioned slurry.[3][4]....

Scraper discharge

This is the standard drum filter discharge.

A scraper blade, which serves to redirect
the filter cake into the discharge chute,
removes the cake from the filter cloth just
before re-entering the vat. Scraper
discharge is used if the desired separation
requires high filtration rate or if heavy solid
slurry is used or if the slurry is easy to filter
to produce cake formation or if a longer
wear resistance is desired for the
separation of the mentioned slurry.[3][4]

Roll discharge

It is a suitable discharge option for cakes

that are thin and have the tendency to
stick with one another. Filter cakes on the
drum and discharged roll are pressed
against one another to ensure that the thin
filter cake is peeled or pulled from the
drum. Removal of solids from the
discharge roll is done via a knife blade.
Roll discharged is used if the desired
separation requires high filtration rate, if
high solid content slurry is used or if the
slurry is easy to filter to produce cake
formation or if the discharged solid is
sticky or mud-like cake.[3][4]

String discharge

The filtrate cakes that are thin and fragile

are usually the end products of this
discharge lie. The materials are capable of
changing phases, from solid to liquid, due
to instability and disturbance. Two rollers
guide the strings back to drum surface
and at the same time separation of the
filtrate cake occurs as they pass the
rollers. Application of the string discharge
can be seen at the pharmaceutical and
starch industries. String discharge is used
if the high solid concentration slurry is
used or if the slurry is easy to filter to
produce cake formation or if the
discharged solid is fibrous, stringy or pulpy
or if a longer wear resistance is desired for
the separation of the mentioned slurry.

Pre coat discharge

Application of this discharge are usually

seen where production of filter cakes that
blind the filter media thoroughly and
processes that have low solid
concentration slurry. Pre coat discharge is
used if slurry with very low solid
concentration slurry is used that resulted
in difficult cake formation or if the slurry is
difficult to filter to produce cake .[3][4]

Main process characteristics

and assessment
Generally, the main process in a rotary
vacuum drum filter is continuous filtration
whereby solids are separated from liquids
through a filter medium by a vacuum. The
filter cloth is one of the most important
components on a filter and is typically
made of weaving polymer yarns. The best
selection of cloth can increase the
performance of filtration. Initially, slurry is
pumped into the trough and as the drum
rotates, it is partially submerged in the
slurry. The vacuum draws liquid and air
through the filter media and out the shaft
hence forming a layer of cake. An agitator
is used to regulate the slurry if the texture
is coarse and it is settling rapidly. Solids
that are trapped on the surface of the
drum are washed and dried after 2/3 of
revolution, removing all the free
moisture.[5]

During the washing stage, the wash liquid

can either be poured onto the drum or
sprayed on the cake. Cake pressing is
optional but its advantages are preventing
cake cracking and removing more
moisture. Cake discharge is when all the
solids are removed from the surface of the
cake by a scraper blade, leaving a clean
surface as drum re-enters the slurry.[5]
There are a few types of discharge which
are scraper, roller, string, endless belt and
pre coat.[4] The filtrate and air flow through
internal pipes, valve and into the vacuum
receiver where the separation of liquid and
gas occurs producing a clear filtrate.[6] Pre
coat filtration is an ideal method to
produce a high clarity of filtrate. Basically,
the drum surface is pre coated with a filter
aid such as diatomaceous earth (DE) or
perlite to improve filtration and increase
cake permeability. It then undergoes the
same process cycle as the conventional
rotary vacuum drum filter however, pre
coat filtration uses a higher precision
blade to scrape off the cake.[5]

The filter is assessed by the size of the

drum or filter area and its possible output.
Typically, the output is in the units of
pounds per hour of dry solids per square
foot of filter area. The size of the auxiliary
parts depends on the area of the filter and
the type of usage. Rotary vacuum filters
are flexible in handling variety of materials
therefore the estimated solids yield from 5
to 200 pounds per hour per square foot.
For pre coat discharge, the solid output is
approximately 2 to 40 gallons per hour per
square foot.[4] Filtration efficiencies can
also be improved in terms dryness of filter
cake by significantly preventing filtrate
liquid from getting stuck in the filter drum
during filtration phase. Usage of multiple
filters for example, running 3 filter units
instead of 2 units yields a thicker cake
hence, producing a clearer filtrate. This
becomes beneficial in terms of production
cost and also quality.[5]
Heuristics design process

Basic operation parameters

heuristics

Vat level and drum speed are the two

basic operating parameters for any rotary
vacuum drum filter. These parameters are
adjusted dependently to each other to
optimize the filtration performance. Valve
level determines the proportion filter cycle
in the filter. The filter cycle consist of the
filter drum rotation, release of cake
formation from slurry and the drying
period for the cake formation shown in
figure 1. By default, operate the vat at its
maximum level to maximise the rate of
filtration. Reduce vat level if discharged
solid is in the form of thin and slimy cake
or if the discharged solid is very
thick.[4][7][8]

Decrease in the vat level eventually leads

to a decrease in the portion of the drum
being submerge under the slurry, more
surface exposure for the cake dying
surface hence, larger cake formation to
dry time ratio. This result in less moisture
content of formed solid and lessen the
thickness of the form solid. In addition to
operating at lower vat level, the flow rate
per drum revolution decreases and
ultimately thinner cake formation occurs.
In the case of pre coat discharge the filter
aid efficiency increases. Drum speed is the
driving factor for the filter output and its
units is in the form of minutes per drum
revolution. At steady operating conditions,
adjusting the drum speed gives a
proportional relationship with the filter
throughput as shown as in figure 2.
Discharge mechanism adjustment
heuristics

Endless belt

Select filter cloth to obtain a good surface

for cake formation. Use twill weave
variation in the construction pattern of the
fabric for better wear resistance. The belt
tension, de-mooning bar height, wash
water quantity and discharge roll speed
are carefully tuned to maintain a good
path for the cake formation to prevent
excessive wear of the filter cloth.
Scraper

Select filter cloth to obtain good wear and

solid binding characteristics. Use
moderate blowback pressure to avoid high
wear. Adjust duration of blow back
pressure short enough to remove the cake
from the filter cloth. The tuning of valve
body is important for the blow back to
prevent the excess filtrated being force
back out of the pipe to with the release
cake solid as this minimises wear and
filter media maintenance.
Roll

Select filter cloth to obtain solid binding

resistance and good cake release. Use
coated fabric for more effective cake
release and have a longer-lasting cloth
media due to solid binding filter cloth. Both
the discharge roll speed and drum speed
must be the same. Adjust the scraper knife
to leave a significant heal on discharge roll
to produce a continuous cake transfer.

String

Minimise the lateral pressure of the strings

by adjusting the alignment tine bar to
avoid the string being cut off. Have
ceramic tube place over each aligning tine
bar to act as bearing surface for the
strings.[4]

Pre coat

Select filter cloth based on the type filter

aid used (refer Filter aid selection), adjust
the advancing knife to optimize the knife
advance rate per drum revolution. (Detail
explained in Advance blade section)

Pre coat filter operation heuristics

Filter aid selection: filter aid are recoat

cake that act as the actual filter media and
there two different types which are
diatomaceous earth or perlite. Important
parameter to consider is the solid
penetration into the pre coat cake and its
limits 0.002 to 0.005 inch penetration
thickness. Large amount of filter aid is
used i.e. “open”, more filter aid is aid
removed which lead to higher disposal
cost. If little amount of filter aid is used i.e.
“tight” will lead to no flow rate into the
drum. This comparison can be illustrated
in figure 5 as below.[4]

Advanced blade

The approximate knife advance rate can

be determined for a set of operating
conditions using table 6 below. The table
indicates the number of hours that the
filter can operate in a one-inch pre coat
cake; the required condition is that the
advance blade must be at a constant
position. This method can be used to
check for optimum operation range.

If the operating parameter is higher than

the optimum range, the user can reduce
the knife advance rate and use a tighter
grade of filter aid. This will result in less
filter aid used (lower capital cost) and less
filter aid being removed (lower disposal
cost). However, if the operating parameter
is lower than the optimum range, the user
can increase the knife advanced rate
(more production) and decrease the drum
speed for less filter air usage (reduced
operating cost).[4]

Necessary post treatment for

waste stream for thicker

Chlorination

Most commonly used post treatment,

where chlorine is dissolved in water to
form and hydrochloric acid hypochlorous
acid. The latter act as a disinfectant that is
able to eliminate pathogens such as
bacteria, viruses and protozoa by
penetrating the cell walls.[9]
UV radiation

The waste stream is irradiated with

Ultraviolet radiation. The UV radiation
disinfect by disrupting the pathogen cell to
be mutated and prevent the cell from
replicating. Eventually the mutated cell
becomes extinct and this process
eliminates odour.[9]

Ozonation

The stream is exposed to ozone and

ozone is unstable at atmospheric
condition. The ozone (O3) decomposes
into oxygen (O2) and more oxygen is
dissolved into the stream. The pathogen is
oxidised to form carbon dioxide. This
process eliminates the odour of the
stream but result in slightly acidic product
due to the effect of carbon dioxide
present.[9]

Necessary post treatment for

waste stream for clarifier

Land reclamation

The waste discharge can be used as land

stabilizer as dry bio-solids that can be
distributed to the market. The land
stabilizer is used in reclaiming marginal
land such as mining waste land. This
process will help to restore the land to its
initial appearance.[9]

Incineration

The waste discharge can be sent into

incineration plant, where the organic solid
undergoes combustion process. The
combustion process produces heat that
can be used to generate electricity.[9]

New Development
The rotary vacuum drum filter designs
available vary in physical aspects and their
characteristics. The filtration area ranges
from 0.5 m2 to 125 m2. Disregarding the
size of the design, filter cloth washing is a
priority as it ensures efficiency of cake
washing and acting vacuum. However, a
smaller design would be more economical
as the maintenance, energy usage and
investment cost would be less than a
bigger rotary vacuum drum filter. Over the
years, the technology drive has pushed
development to further heights revolving
around rotary vacuum drum filter in terms
of design, performance, maintenance and
cost. This has also led to the development
of smaller rotary drum vacuum filters,
ranging from laboratory scale to pilot
scale, both of which can be used for
smaller applications (such as at a lab in a
university) [10] High performance capacity,
optimised filtrate drainage with low flow
resistance and minimal pressure loss are
just a few of the benefits. With advanced
control systems prompting automation,
this has reduced the operation of attention
needed hence, reducing the operational
cost. Advancements in technology also
means that precoat can be cut to 1/20th
the thickness of human hair, thus making
the use of precoat more efficient [11]
Lowered operational and capital cost can
also be achieved nowadays due to easier
maintenance and cleaning. Complete cell
emptying can be done quickly with the
installation of leading and trailing pipes.
Given that the filter cloth is usually one of
the more expensive component in the
rotary vacuum drum filter build up, priority
on its maintenance must be kept quite
high. A longer lifetime, protection from
damage and consistent performance are
the few criteria that must not be
overlooked. Besides considering
production cost and quality, cake washing
and cake thickness are essential issues
that are important in the process. Methods
have been performed to ensure a minimal
amount of cake moisture while undergoing
good cake washing with large cake
dewatering angle. An even thickness of
filter cake besides having a complete cake
discharge is also possible.[5][12]

See also
Vacuum ceramic filter
Dewatering

References
1. Stickland AD, White LR, Scales PJ (April
2011). "Models of rotary vacuum drum and
disc filters for flocculated suspensions" (htt
ps://aiche.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/
10.1002/aic.12310) . AIChE Journal. 57 (4):
951–61. doi:10.1002/aic.12310 (https://do
i.org/10.1002%2Faic.12310) .
2. "Rotary Vacuum Drum Filter Manufacturer
(Stainless Steel Mesh) | Compositech
Filters Manufacturer" (http://www.composit
ech-filters.com/drum-filters) .
3. Vacuum Drum Filters [Online]:
https://www.westech-
inc.com/products/vacuum-drum-filter
4. Haug, G. (1999) Aspects of Rotary Vacuum
Filter Design & Performance, Eagle-Picher
Minerals Inc.
5. Sparks, T. (2012) Solid-Liquid Filtration - A
Users’ Guide to Minimizing Costs and
Environmental Impact; Maximizing Quality
and Productivity, Elsevier
6. http://www.komline.com/downloads/broch
ures/KS-rdvf.pdf
 7. A. L. Genter, (1956), Conditioning and
vacuum filtration of sludge, Water
Environment Federation, 28:7, pp 829–840
8. B. A. Perlmutter, (2000), Improving process
operations with a rotary pressure filter,
BHS-Filtration Inc., Date of retrieve: 31-9-
2013, [Online]: http://www.bhs-
filtration.com/improvingProcOpsRotary.pd
f
9. F. L. Burton, H. D. Stensel, (2011),
Wastewater Engineering: Treatment and
Reuse (Fourth Edition), Tata McGraw-Hill
Education
10. "Laboratory Scale RDVF" (http://www.filtrati
onservices.co.uk/services-capabilities/equi
pment-hire/) . Retrieved 2016-07-27.
11. "Cutting Precoat to 1/20th the Thickness of
a Human Hair - Filtration Services" (http://w
ww.filtrationservices.co.uk/cutting-precoat-
to-120th-the-thickness-of-a-human-hair/) .
2016-06-03. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
12. BOKELA Rotary Drum Filters [Online]:
http://www.bokela.de/uploads/media/TFI-
prosp_e_06.pdf

Further reading
Smith, Paul G.; John S. Scott (2005).
"Vacuum filter" (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=8Ts0SxVy8a0C&pg=RA1-P
A452) . Dictionary of water and waste
management. Boston: Elsevier. pp. 452–
453. ISBN 0-7506-6525-4.
OCLC 58456687 (https://www.worldcat.
org/oclc/58456687) . Retrieved 15 May
2009.
Spellman, Frank R. (1997). "Vacuum
Filtration" (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=HN6SDSm2Nh8C&pg=PA85) .
Dewatering Biosolids. Boca Raton,
Florida: CRC Press. pp. 85–101. ISBN 1-
56676-483-1. OCLC 36556585 (https://w
ww.worldcat.org/oclc/36556585) .
Retrieved 15 May 2009.
John J. McKetta, John J. McKetta Jr,
"Unit Operations Handbook: Mechanical
separations and materials handling",
 CRC Press, 1992, pp. 274–288. ISBN 0-
8247-8670-X
Hiroaki Masuda, Kō Higashitani, Hideto
Yoshida, "Powder Technology: Handling
and Operations, Process
Instrumentation, and Working Hazards",
CRC Press, 2006, pp. 194–195. ISBN 1-
4200-4412-5

External links
Rotary drum filter, United States Patent
308143 (http://www.freepatentsonline.c
om/4308143.html)
Rotary drum filter, United States Patent
5006136 (http://www.freepatentsonline.
 com/5006136.html)
Luthi rotary drum filter (http://www.goog
le.com/patents?id=c-lzAAAAEBAJ)
Filter, patent number 2362300 (http://w
ww.google.com/patents?id=YG5IAAAAE
BAJ)

Drum Filter Made in Viet Nam (https://thie

nduongkoi.com.vn/drum-filter/)

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