Membrane Filter Plate
Membrane Filter Plates are advanced filtration components engineered to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of filtration. These plates are designed specifically to make drier filter cakes, increase solids retention, and improve overall production rates. There exist two major types of Membrane Filter Plates: Fixed Membranes and Replaceable Membranes, each with unique benefits for a particular application. When in a “Mixed Pack” configuration – in which membrane plates alternate with recessed ones (Companion Plate) – these plates provide significant cost savings while ensuring better dewatering capabilities hence being the perfect choice for industries requiring accurate and efficient filtration.
In Membrane type Plates Water or Air under pressure is used to compress (Squeeze) the wet Cake. Once the filter press is filled with the suspension, this medium is fed to the membranes in close loop through Squeezing Manifold Pipe and its subsequent compresses the cake and pushes out the residual liquid from the Wet Cake. The residual liquid passes through the cloth and is discharged out from Filtrate Outlet Nozzles of the filter press.
The thickness of the filtration chamber is usually 25 – 40 mm before compressing (Squeezing), by compressing the membrane moisture contain in wet Cake is reduced most often by 25 - 50%.
Types of Membrane Filter Plates
- Fixed Membranes: Typically made from 100% polypropylene, these membranes are molded separately from the core plate then fused together through heat welding to form a single homogeneous plate. The fact that there are no joints makes fixed membranes.
- Replaceable Membranes: These plates have a polypropylene core that is machined to accommodate a rubber membrane which can be changed as desired. This type allows flexibility in design as materials such as EPDM thermoplastics can be used depending on specific operational conditions.
Advantages
- Drier Filter Cakes: This reduces moisture content in the final filter cake leading to higher quality end products.
- Faster Cycle Times: Shorter filtration, washing and discharge times result from use of membrane plates thereby improving overall production efficiencies.
- Improved Cake Washing:: This improves uniformity when washing cakes since there is reduced liquid consumption during washes as well as more uniform cake structures.
- Increased Solids Content:Higher dry solids content means better dewatering and more consistent filter cake quality.
- Enhanced Cake Release: Downtime and maintenance efforts are reduced by these membrane plates in the release of filter cakes from the press.
- Cost Savings: Reduced cycle times, decreased liquid volumes for washing and less air consumption in blow-drying lead to significant savings during filtration.
Operating Parameters
Membrane Filter Plates are typically used at feed pressures up to 7 bar and squeezed under pressures of up to 15 bar. Specially designed plates that can accommodate higher feed and squeeze pressures are also available for many industrial applications.
Applications
Membrane Filter Plates are versatile and can be used across various industries including food processing, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and wastewater treatment. They can reduce moisture content, increase filtration efficiency, and operate cost-effectively which makes them indispensable parts of any high-performance/reliable filtration system. Membrane Filter Plates represent an unrivaled efficiency/ effectiveness within solid-liquid separation processes whether they form part of a Mixed Pack or as separate items.