Optek OPT0006 Centrifuge Control

Installation of optek sensors at the inlet and outlet of a centrifuge can improve separation performance, reduce losses and improve product consistency.

Feed/inlet: The feed often has high variable solids loading. Separation efficiency can be improved by installing an optek AF16-N or AS16-N prior to the separator. The separator feed rate can then be optimised based on real-time solids concentration measurements. Flow may be adjusted to meet system requirements for optimised performance and prevent overloading or clogging of the separator.

Outlet (discharge): The separator outlet (discharge) is the most common point of installation for process photometers. Monitoring at this point can help to maximise the efficiency of the system. Some systems control discharge based on time parameters set from the previous run, which is only valid with an average constant feed load.

A more efficient approach is to control the discharge based on need, which can be monitored by an optek inline sensor. Using an optek turbidity sensor to control the discharge by need, the number of discharge cycles can be reduced significantly. This can increase yield, ensure consistency downstream, reduce mechanical wear and help avoid ‘blinding’ of downstream filters.

Typically for cell culture processing, an optek TF16-N scattered light sensor is installed to ensure immediate detection of lowest concentrations. An optek AF16-N absorption sensor is commonly used for higher density fermentation processing.

Solids discharge: When measuring the absorption in the solids discharge stream of the separator, an optek sensor equipped with a small optical path length will accurately correlate absorption measurements directly to weight-percent. This enables accurate yield measurement and control of product quality.