Optimización y regulación de una centrifuga horizontal

A study is undertaken with the objective of analizing the effect that some adjustment parameters have on a horizontal centrifuge (decanter) relating to the extraction of virgin olive oil, at low temperatures in the elaboration process, and the characteristics of the final oil obtained. To achieve this the response of a horizontal centrifuge (decanter) with mass at varying injection flow rates is evaluated combined with different values of differential spins and at two different ripening stages of the olive, with regard to its impact on the industrial yield through loss of fats in the pomace, the influence of the torque which the worm gear performs to remove these from the bowl interior, and with regard to the characteristics of the filtered and non-filtered oil. It has been observed that the torque is affected by the characteristics of the olive, the feed flow and the differential; in the same way, that the depletion of the pomace is influenced by the choice of an appropriate differential for the determined flow. Also, that working with lower injection flows, high spin differentials and mass temperatures which are not too cold, a better depletion of pomace is obtained with lesser torque. In addition it can be said that the process temperatures, the olive characteristics, the feed flow and the differential do not influence the regulated quality of the end resulting pil but this cannot be said of its composition and the content of humidity and impurities of non-filtered oils. These results show the importance of decanter regulation according to the characteristics of the olive which is being processed and the preparation of the paste for a stable and effective machine operation