Technical Bulletin No. 0135: Continuous Sludge Dewatering by Conveyor Centrifuge

This Technical Bulletin was originally distributed in 1960 and contained the results of large-scale application tests of the horizontal conveyor-type centrifuge. These studies were conducted cooperatively by the National Council and a group of Ohio paper mills, which provided financial support and facilities for the investigation. Equipment suppliers also participated by lending and modifying centrifuges and contributing technical knowledge. The entire program was directed by Russell O. Blosser, then National Council for Air and Stream Improvement Central Lake States Regional Engineer. All major factors involved in centrifuge operation, including feed composition, consistency and rate, bowl speed, liquid level, and power requirements were studied. From these data, optimum operating conditions were determined. It appeared from the results obtained then that the horizontal solid bowl conveyor-type centrifuge would prove useful in dewatering certain types of paper mill sludges. For illustrative purposes then, capital and operating cost estimates were presented for one such possible application.