1.

ABSTRACT
In the design and operation of filters used for the filtration of suspensions,
washing and de liquoring of the formed filter cake, one is interested for
reasons of operating safety, maintaining the desired quality and profitability.
The main focus is to calculate the residual moisture content of the
discharged filter cake and the compressor performance on parameters
determined by products, adjustment and design in alignment.

A common non-disposable device used for solid-liquid phase separation for

continuous flow processing is the rotary drum filtration unit. In fact, the
rotary drum vacuum filter is considered to be the workhorse of the chemical
process industry. In our paper we are going to bring down the moisture
content of the given slurries up to a certain level. Our objective is to reduce
the moisture level of whatever slurries that is taken as feed into the rotary
vacuum drum filter. This will help in gain more cake formation in a single
run and thus the cost of handling also becomes less and it also adds to the
economy of the process.

2.INTRODUCTION
The removal of solid particles from a fluid by passing the fluid through a
filtering medium on which solids are deposited is said to be filters. Solid
liquid separation is the separation of two phases, solid and liquid, from a
suspension. The technology for carrying out this process is often referred to
as `Mechanical Separation' because the separation is accomplished by purely
physical means.

This does not preclude chemical or thermal pretreatment which is

increasingly used to enhance the separation that follows. Although some
slurries separate perfectly well without chemical or physical conditioning,
most slurries and pulps of a widely varying nature can benefit from
pretreatment, whether the separation is by sedimentation(gravity or
centrifugal), filtration or flotation[1] [2]. A conditioning effect can be
obtained using several

processes such as coagulation and flocculation, addition of inert filter aids,

crystallization, freezing, temperature or pH adjustment, thermal treatment
and ageing. Only the first two operations are considered in more detail here
due to their importance and wide use.

2.1-ROTARY VACUUM DRUM FILTERS

The Rotary Vacuum Drum Filter belongs to the bottom feed group and is
one of the oldest filters applied to the chemical process industry. Therefore
rotary vacuum drum filters are certainly used in to the best part of solid
liquid separation process. The Figure 1, shows the basic structure of the
rotary vacuum drum filters and also its components and their working
parameters. A valve with a bridge setting which controls the sequence of the
cycle so that each sector is subjected to vacuum, blow and a dead zone [3].
When a sector enters submergence vacuum commences and continues
through washing, if required to a point that it is cut-off and blow takes place
to assist in discharging the cake. The valve has on certain filters adjustable
blocks and on others a fixed bridge rings (see Figure 2). Adjustable bridge
blocks enable the optimization of form to dry ratio within the filtration cycle
as well as the "effective submergence" of the drum when the slurry level in
the tank is at the maximum.

The majority of drum filters have a valve with three bridge blocks and a
single row pipe plate as shown below and on the right[4]. The duty of the
bridges is:

Vacuum and blow zones separating bridge: This Bridge cuts off the vacuum
so it is slightly wider than the internal pipe port.

Dead Zone Bridge: This Bridge opens to vacuum once a compartment

submerges. Start-up assists bridge. At start-up the upper vacuum zone is
open to atmosphere and a cake may be formed only when closing the valve
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that controls this zone. Once the cake starts to emerge from the tank the
valve is gradually opened and fully opened when the entire drum face is
wrapped with the cake. Since in continuous operation both lower and

upper zones are under vacuum this bridge is slightly narrower than the
internal pipe port so that the vacuum is continuous and the cake is held onto
the drum. The rotary drum vacuum filter is a very versatile liquid/solid
separation device. It is used where a continuous separation is desired of a
solid from a liquid stream. It can be used in process applications where the
solid is the product or where the liquid is the product (and sometimes when
both phases are the product). In wastewater applications it can be used to
dewater a variety of sludge or to clarify wastewater.

Cake washing is used when a given cake purity is required. It is also used to
improve extraction of liquid products or dissolved materials from the filter
cake. Lab or pilot testing can be used to determine the effectiveness and
efficiency of cake washing on a rotary vacuum drum Filter

2.2. CAKE FORMATION:

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With the overflow weir set to a maximum the "apparent submergence" is
normally 33-35% so the slurry levels between 04.00 and 08.00 hrs. Once a
sector enters

submergence vacuum is applied and a cake starts to form up to a point where

the sector emerges from the slurry. The portion of the cycle available for
formation is the "effective submergence" and its duration depends on the
number of sectors, the slurry level in the tank

2.3. CAKE WASHING AND DRYING:

After emerging from submergence the drying portion of the cycle

commences and for non-wash applications continues to about 01.30 hrs
where the vacuum is cutoff.

If cake washing is required the wash will be manifolds will be located from
about 10.30 to 11.30 hrs and the remaining time to vacuum cut-off at 01.30
hrs is the portion allocated to final cake drying[5].

After vacuum for the entire sector is cut-off air blow commences at about
02.00 hrs in order to facilitate cake discharge. The blow, depending on the
position of the tip of the scraper blade, wills cut-off at approximately03.00
hrs. Drum filters are normally operated with a low pressure blow but on
certain applications a snap blow is applied and to avoid the snapping out of
the caulking bars or ropes wire winding of the cloth is

recommended

3.MATERIALS AND METHODS

The materials that we took for the analysis of the slurries are vacuum pump,
beaker and water along with the heating medium. We used pH meter to find
the initial pH value of the slurries. We had taken two slurries in order to
reduce the moisture content. Finally with the help of these materials we were
able to perform the specified task. The Chemicals used are Calcium
Hypochlorite and Calcium Carbonate
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 4.General Composition

12 sector rotary drum, made of stainl ess steel, 500 mm diameter, variable
speed;

• 200 l capacity feed tank (plastic material);

• electric stirrer for feed tank, 0.37 kW;

• electrically operated feed pump, 0,7 kW fo r pumping thick, abrasive and

sandy fluids;

• filtered product circulation pump of plastic material, electrically operated,

0.37 kW;
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• filtered product tank of plastic material, 200 l capacity;

• electrically operated vacuum pump: 1,45 kW, 100 to 650 mm Hg vacuum,

18 to 7 m3/h flow rate;

• 60 l capacity mud collection tank;

• on-off valves

• electrical control board:

- automatic circuit breaker;

- key operated selector;
- emergency push-button;
- service socket;
- overload cut out switches for pump starting;
- drum speed regulator;
- voltage warning lamps;
- synoptic.

5.Experimental procedure:

5.1 Standardization of pH Value

The pH value was analyzed using a pH meter with a glass membrane

electrode. The variation of pH over the time during the course of the
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experiment was analyzed using the pH meter. According to the requirement
of the company we are decreasing the pH by adding wash water during the
process of analyzing.

5. 2 Analytical method

The given slurry was filled in a rubber corked round bottomed flask. The
filter medium is chosen in such a way that the cake deposition should be
more and the filtrate also should be clear. Nylon made filter medium was
used in this experiment. The feed was heated at a temperature of around 45
to 60o C for around thirty minutes. After the heating process the initial
weight of the plate was taken then slurry which was heated up was measured
along with the plate. Now, the weight of the dry cake and wet cake was
easily calculated and are tabulated. Finally, the moisture content of the slurry
is found out[6][7]. With the help of the filtrate area we can easily design the
RVDF for the given slurry. Some parametric changes are done to reduce the
moisture content of the given slurries.

General Synoptic

A. Rotary drum

B. Feed tank

C. Stirrer

D. Feed pump

E. Circulation pump

F. Vacuum pump

G. Filtered product tank

H. Mud collection tank

I. On-off valves
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L. Electrical control Board

6.RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Analysis of calcium hypochlorite

By the experimental methods as said earlier the initial moisture content of

the calcium hypochlorite slurry is found out. First the weight of the wet and
dry cakemeasured and these results are used in for the calculation to find out
the initial moisture content. The readings were tabulated in Table

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