What do you understand by the term Filter press plates?
Filter plates in a Filter press machine
NMP, one of the largest filter press manufacturers in India, provides diverse solutions per the customer's requirements. Our main goal is to provide the right solution for every application as an innovation expert in separating solids and liquids. We have a comprehensive range of products available to us, which is the basis of all our solutions. Our products can be tailor-made per the customer's requirements and needs. Thus, each of the products available with us ultimately becomes a distinguished NMP product – made as per the customer's needs.
For chamber and membrane filter presses, filter press plates are primarily resistant to chemicals. In addition to the overhanging filter cloth, they complete the entire process for the filtration of the cake and are thus primarily responsible for separating solids and liquids. Special materials for temperatures as high as 130°C and as low as minus 10°C are also available for continuous operation. The drainage surface fixed inside the filter press plates is integrated with nubs and grooves. The presence of nubs and grooves helps support the filter cloth and allows the filtrate to flow in a defined manner. The plate and the thickness of the cake are freely configurable depending upon the application and the conditions during filtration.
The plate size can be around 305mm x 305mm to 1500mm x 2000mm. The cake's thickness range can be around 15mm to 50mm, which allows for an optimal adaptation to the filtration tasks. Some of the types of filter press plates available at NMP are – Plate and Frame filter plates, Recessed Plates, CGR Filter plates, and Membrane Filter plates.
The selection of the Filter press plates depends on the following criteria:
Resistant to chemical
Stability in different ranges of temperature
Support of filter cloth
Drain ability (nubs and grooves without/with membrane technology)
Handling
Differential pressure resistance
Types of Filter Press Plates
Various types of filter press plates are available at NMP. Let us explore each one of the filter plates in detail.
Plate and Frame Filter Press Plate
It is still used in various types of industries. The plate and frame filter press filtration chamber consists of two filter plates – filtrating and frame. The thickness of the frame plate decides the width of the filtration cake. The range usually varies between 10mm to 50mm. After going through the installed filter cloths on the filtrate plates, the filtrate is drained out by the drainage channels fixed inside the plates. The filter press machine then discharges them out. The range of working pressure usually lies between 6-15 bars.
Following are the reasons to choose plate and frame filter press plates –
Due to the presence of symmetrical cake chambers, there are good washing results.
Easy cloth exchange takes place.
There is the utilization of cost-effective filter media, for instance, one-way filter media.
As there is an easy exchange of filter frames, there is the presence of variable cake thickness.
Using plate and frame filter press in a filter press machine is the most traditionally used pressure filtration method. A consumer gets very good results in washing and a homogenous and well-formed filter cake.
Recessed filter press plates
Recessed filter press plates are the successor of plate and frame filter plates. They are composed of two basic configurations – Close discharge and open discharge. In both these types of configurations, the range of the depth of the chamber is between 15mm to 50mm. The range is suitable for various types of slurries.
Following are the reasons to choose Recessed filter press plates –
They are made of 100% virgin polypropylene filter plates
They have a good finishing, high machining accuracy, and excellent quality.
They have a long life.
They are well-suited for high filtration temperatures.
They do not have high operation and maintenance costs.
They are made of single-piece molding. Thus, it can easily avoid problems such as leakage, corrosion, and cracking.
It is easy to install the filter cloth.
It is made of a special piped surface that protects to filter cloth and ensures excellent filtration.
They are made of robust design with reinforced edges.
CGR filter press plates
CGR filter plates are an upgraded version of the closed configuration plates of the recessed chamber. The most important benefit of the design of CGR filter plates is the Zero leak Recess type filter plate. The zero leaks happen because the ‘O’ ring is placed around the sealing edge and the filtrate hole tightly secures the seal when the plate pack is closed. This type of filter plate is beneficial in leakproof conditions, such as when dealing with acidic solutions, toxic substances, etc.
Following are the reasons to choose CGR filter press plates –
They provide excellent sealing and thus make for a virtually leak-free operation.
They are made of polypropylene that is excellent corrosive resistant, stable in high temperatures, and capable of handling high flow and pressure.
They are made of a special piped surface that protects the filter cloth and ensures excellent filtration.
Membrane Filter plates
Membrane filter press plates have a configuration in which one recessed filter plate is alternated with one membrane plate in the plate pack. Using the combination of recessed and membrane filter plate reduces the moisture in the filter cake because of the add-on squeeze. In addition, it also helps in cost-saving.
Following are the reasons to choose Membrane filter press plates –
Less moisture in the final filter cake.
It reduces the washing, filtration, and discharge time.
It reduces the consumption of washing liquid because of a more homogenous cake structure.
It enhances the uniformity in dehydrating the filter cake.
It enhances the process of cake release from the filter press machine.
The filter press machine is the equipment used for the separation method to separate solid and liquid. Filter press machine working consumes low energy, low to no human resources required, and high separation effectiveness of liquid filtering out, making it extensively used dewatering technology. Filter press is a widely used dewatering technology in papermaking, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage industries, mining operations, chemical industries, mills, marble, and stone cutting.
The separation of solids and liquids is done using a filter press machine. The pressure filtration process is done to divide solids/liquids. A slurry is pushed inside a filter press machine and is dehydrated when subjected to extreme pressure. Filter press machines are manufactured based on the volume and the slurry that needs to be dehydrated.
In the mid 19th century in the United Kingdom, one used a rudimentary form of filter presses to extract vegetable oil from seeds. However, when in the 20th-century, major developments took place everywhere; scientists developed an automatic horizontal-type filter press. Since then, filter presses have gone through a lot of technological advancements and changes.