MECHANICAL SEPARATION

Separation Process

 Separation process is used to transform a mixture of

substances into two or more compositionally distinct
products.

 Mixture – combination of any two or more phases:

solid-solid, solid-liquid, solid-gas, liquid-liquid, liquid-gas, gas-

gas, solid-liquid-gas mixture, etc.

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 Separation Process Mechanisms

 Phase creation

 Phase addition. MSA=mass separating Agent

 Barrier

 External field

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 Classification of Separation Processes

 Chemical Separation processes

 Mechanical Separation processes

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 Why Separation ?

1. Isolating valuable chemicals from mixtures

2. Removing impurities from raw materials

3. Purification of products

4. Removal of contaminants and valuable constituents from

effluent streams

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 Mechanical Separation

 Any technique that separates constituent from mixture by

mechanical instead of chemical means.

 Heterogeneous mixture

 Based on

 Phase density and phase fluidity

 Mechanical properties – shape, size, colour and density

 Particle characteristics – wettability, surface charge, magnetic

susceptability, electrical conductivity

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 Advantages

 Relatively less Energy Requirements

 Ease of Operation
 Ease of Maintenance
 No special Feed pretreatment required

Disadvantages

 Not applicable for separating Components in homogeneous

phase
 Not versatile i.e. in same state may be one element can be
separated and other don’t.
 Applicable to low flow rates
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 Classification of Mechanical Separation Processes

 On the basis of characteristics

 Depending on the difference in size or shape

 Depending on the difference in phase density

 Depending on fluid and particle mechanics

 Depending on surface, electrical or magnetic properties

 On the basis of phases involved

 S-S
 L-L
 G-L
 L-G
 S-L
 L-S
 S-G
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 We deal with ………

 Solid – Solid Separation

 Solid – Liquid Separation

 Solid – Gas Separation

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 Solid – Solid Separation

 Objective – to separate the mixture of solids into two or

more fractions

 Dry basis
 Screening

 Electrostatic

 magnetic

 Wet basis
 Classification

 Gravity concentration

 Floatation
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 Solid – Liquid Separation

 Objective – to separate the solids and liquid from each other

 Filtration

 Sedimentation – gravitational settling

 Centrifugal separators

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 Solid – Gas Separation

 Objective – to separate the solids from gas

 Filtration

 Gravitational settling

 Centrifugation

 Wet scrubbing

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 Solid – Solid Separation

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 Screening

 Objective: to separate the mixture of solids into two or more

fractions

 Feed: mixture of solid particles (coarse + fines)

 Separating agent: barrier (screen)

 Product: fractions – each uniform in particle size

 Principle of separation: difference in size

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 Screening Equipments

 Stationary screens
 Sieve bends

 Moving screens
 Revolving screens
 Shaking screens
 Gyratory screen
 Vibrating screen

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 Electrostatic separation

 Objective: to separate the mixture of solids into two

fractions

 Feed: mixture of solid particles of different electrical properties

 Separating agent: External electric field

 Product: fractions – solid + solid

 Principle of separation: selective charging – difference in

electrical conductivity of charged particles

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 Electrostatic separation Equipments

 Charging mechanisms:
 Contact electrification
 Ion bombardment
 Conductive induction

 Equipments
 Triboelectrostatic separator

 Ion-bombardment separator

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 Magnetic separation

 Objective: to separate the mixture of solids into two

fractions

 Feed: mixture of solid particles of different magnetic properties

 Basis: wet or dry

 Separating agent: External magnetic field

 Product: fractions – solid + solid

 Principle of separation: magnetic susceptibility

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 Magnetic separation Equipments

 Classification w.r.t magnetic properties

 Ferromagnetic
 Paramagnetic
 Diamagnetic

 Equipments
 Magnetic Drum separator
 Dry Drum separator

 Wet Drum separator

 Rare earth magnetic rolls

 Induced roll magnetic separator

 High gradient magnetic separator

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 Classification

 Objective: to separate the mixture of solids into various

fractions which is allowed to settle through a fluid

 Feed: mixture of solid particles + Fluid

 Basis: wet or dry

 Separating agent: Gravitational force

 Product: solid fractions + fluid

 Principle of separation: difference in size or density

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 Classification

 Separation
 Sizing
 Sorting

 Terminal settling velocity

 This velocity depends on size, shape and density of solid

particles and viscosity of fluid.

 Free settling - hindered settling

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 Classification Equipments / Classifiers

 Gravity settling classifier

 Hydrocyclone classifiers

 Rake classifiers

 Spiral classifiers

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Rake classifiers
 Gravity Concentration

 Objective: to separate the mixture of solid particles having

different specific gravity

 Feed: mixture of solid particles + Fluid

 Basis: wet

 Separating agent: Gravitational force + other applied forces

 Product: solid fractions (density)

 Principle of separation: density difference

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 Gravity Concentration Equipments

 Based on different separation principles

 Gravity -
 Film sizing
 shaking

 Equipments

 Heavy medium separators

 Spiral concentrator

 Shaking tables

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 Floatation

 Objective: to separate the one type of particles from other

by floating them on the surface of fluid

 Feed: mixture of solid particles + Fluid

 Basis: wet

 Separating agent: Surfactants + air bubbles

 Product: solid + solid + liquid

 Principle of separation: difference in their surface wetting

property, hydrophilic or hydrophobic
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 Solid – Liquid Separation

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 Filtration

Objective: two-phase physical separation of particulate solid

matter from the liquid in which it is suspended

 Feed: Solid – Liquid

 Separating agent: medium (porous media) + driving force

(gravity, vacuum, pressure or centrifugal force

 Product: Solid (residue) + Liquid (filtrate)

 Principle of separation: size of solid particles relative to

pore size of filtration media

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 Filtration

 Types of filtration
 Cake filtration
 Deep-bed filtration

 Filtration equipments
 Batch
 Continuous

 Gravity filter
 Pressure filters –
o batch (filter press, pressure leaf filters)
o continuous (rotary drum pressure filters)
 Vacuum filters
o batch (vacuum leaf filters)
o continuous (rotary drum filters, disk filters)
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 Centrifugal filters – filtering centrifuges
 Sedimentation

Objective: two-phase physical separation of particulate solid

matter from the liquid

 Feed: Solid – Liquid

 Separating agent: Gravity

 Product: Solid (thickening) + Liquid (clarification)

 Principle of separation: Density difference

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 Sedimentation

 Terminologies
 Thickening
 Clarification
 free or hindered settling
 Classifier or clarifier

 Equipments
 Thickeners

 Clarifiers

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 Centrifugal separator

Objective: two-phase physical separation of particulate solid

matter from the liquid

 Feed: Solid – Liquid / L - L

 Separating agent: centrifugal force

 Product: Solid + Liquid / L + L

 Principle of separation: Density difference

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 Equipments

 Centrifuges

 Hydrocyclone

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 Solid – Gas Separation

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 Solid – Gas Separation

 Gravitational settling

 Inertial separation

 Scrubbing

 Electrostatic deposition

 Centrifugal separation

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 Gravity based separator

Objective: two-phase physical separation of particulate solid

matter from the gas

 Feed: Solid – gas

 Separating agent: gravity

 Product: Solid + gas

 Principle of separation: density difference

 Equipment : gravity settling chamber

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 Inertial separator

Objective: two-phase physical separation of particulate solid

matter from the gas

 Feed: Solid – gas

 Separating agent: flow / inertia

 Product: Solid + gas

 Principle of separation: difference in momentum / inertia

due to density difference

 Equipment : impingement separator, viscous air filter

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 Scrubbing

Objective: two-phase physical separation of particulate solid

matter from the gas

 Feed: Solid(fines) – gas

 Separating agent: gravity

 Product: Solid + gas

 Principle of separation: density difference

 Equipment : wet scrubbers / wet collectors

 Spray towers
 Water jet scrubber
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 Electrostatic precipitators

Objective: two-phase physical separation of particulate solid

matter from the gas

 Feed: Solid(very fines) – gas

 Separating agent: Electric field

 Product: Solid + gas

 Principle of separation: Electric change carried by

particles

 Equipment :
 Plate type
 Tubular type
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 Electrostatic precipitator

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 Centrifugal separator

Objective: two-phase physical separation of particulate solid

matter from the gas

 Feed: Solid(fines) – gas

 Separating agent: centrifugal force

 Product: Solid + gas

 Principle of separation: Density difference

 Equipment : cyclone

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