See Product Details

The Hoesch membrane filter press (MFP) from Larox has an installed base of over 70 units in the sugar industry, on carbonation mud dewatering. Hoesch developed the very first MFP ever built back in the 1960's, so we offer more rubber membrane experience than any other filter press company.

The plate pack is the heart of the filter and the plates offered for the Hoesch MFP were designed and developed in-house and are unique to us. Plate dimensions are available in either 1200 x 1200 mm or 1500 x 1500 mm, which are standard within the sugar industry. The following features therefore ensure the very best performance.

1. The plate is provided with a center feed with a distribution and supporting ring for optimized distribution of the slurry. The central port is either 125 or 150 mm diameter (depending on plate size) to reduce the velocity during distribution and prevent the cake from being washed away around the feed port. The central feed also ensures equal cake distribution in all directions. This eliminates the potential for tapered cakes (thicker at the bottom than at the top).

2. A 60 mm chamber depth is provided for carbonation mud. The increased volume/filtration area provides higher solids capacity per fill and hence slurry capacity. The larger chamber volume results in a thicker and hence heavier cake which discharges from the chamber more readily.

3. The 60 mm chamber thickness allows for filter cake washing (de-sweetening) by either corner washing or alternatively by washing via the slurry feed channel for so-called "fast step" washing. This is often done when capacity demands require increased throughput. The shortened filtration cycle from "fast-step" washing can add up to 15% extra capacity. Larox builds both options into the programming of the MFP operation.

4. The replaceable rubber membrane is made from EPDM. It is easily exchanged without the need of any special tools. The EPDM grade chosen is suitable for the temperatures and process conditions of the sugar industry and has an excellent track record.

5. The use of a replaceable rubber membrane allows so-called " empty chamber" operation. If only partial chamber filling or no filling of individual chambers occurs, the rubber membrane does not suffer any damage and can still follow any shape the filter cake takes. This can be especially true at the end of a campaign or with poor quality feed material.

6. The automatic plate-shifting device provides automatic discharge of the press. The design uses a double chain design on each side of the filter, which prevents any canting or misalignment of plates during shifting. The chains on both sides are run in HMPE (high molecular weight polyethylene) rails, which are self-lubricating and do not corrode. Thus a safe filter cake discharge is guaranteed every time. Dead time is minimized during discharge by linking the plates in sets of 4 so that 4 chambers are emptied at a time