Thickening and Filtration

RCS has significant experience in conducting testwork for selection and operation of thickeners and filtration devices, and can assist in dewatering equipment selection by offering quantitative analysis methods to identify the optimal dewatering technique for a given process waste stream.

  • Identification of suitability of process and waste streams for thickening, centrifugation or filtration
  • Flocculant screening testwork and qualitative comparison of thickener underflows
  • Qualitative comparison of extent (maximum solids achievable) and rate of filtration for wide range of materials
  • Effects of surface chemistry (pH, ionic strength, water quality, chemical additives, clay chemistry) on dewatering performance
  • Input data for design of auxiliary equipment

RCS uses custom built piston and direct air driven filtration rigs to perform material characterisation in terms of filtration performance, allowing for multiple parameters to be recorded, analysed and optimised over a range of operational pressures.

Filtration RigServices in this area include:

  • Quantitative analysis of the effects of operating parameters such as feed solids concentration, liquor pH, temperature and material particle size distribution on filtration performance
  • Analysis and optimization of operating trends
  • Characterisation of effects of dewatering aids/flocculants and other reagents on filtration performance