High quality separation technology FLOTTWEG CENTRIFUGES for ...

High quality separation technology
FLOTTWEG CENTRIFUGES
for olive oil production

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FLOTTWEG CENTRIFUGES
for olive oil production
The production of olive oil has
occurred since antiquity.
Ancient olive-oil making was
strictly done by hand. Later
on, simple machines such as
mechanical presses and pan
grinders driven by human or
animal power were used. The
separation of oil, fruit water, and
pulp was done by static settling.
The olive oil process
At the present time, mak ing
olive oil is a continuous pro cess
using modern machinery.
In the early 1970s, FLOTTWEG
was one of the first companies
to introduce DECANTERS to
the olive oil production process,
replacing the existing hydraulic
press method.
olive storage leaves removal/washing crusher
Olive oil processing
Prior to processing, olives are
cleaned from leaves, bits of
branches, stones, soil, and
ot her impurities. Then a mash
is produced by crushing the olives
and the olive stones. This
mash is conveyed to the malaxer
or kneading mill. Through
malaxing, the oil is released
from the oil cells by which it is
encapsulated. The malaxing
procedure is crit ical for oil yield
and oil quality. The parameters
of influence are holding time and
temperature. Then the mash is
pumped to the FLOTTWEG
DECANTER (2-phase) or
TRICANTER ® (3-phase)
for separation. In the
TRICANTER ® (3-phase),
the mash is separated into oil,
fruit water and solids, i. e., olive
At FLOTTWEG there has since
been constant development in
order to improve the DECANTER
performance in terms of oil
yield, throughput capacity, and
machine lifetime. During this
time, FLOTTWEG has delivered
thousands of DECANTERS and
TRICANTERS ® to all olive oil
producing countries in the world.
olive
mash
FLOTTWEG DECANTER / TRICANTER®
oil
malaxer
oil water separator pomace waste water oil polisher clean oil
(3 phase process only)
stone debris and pulp. On the
way to the TRICANTER ® , dilution
water is added to the feed
in order to fluidize the mash. In
the 2-phase process, the mash
is separated into oil as liquid
phase and solid phase (pomace)
consisting of olive stone
debris, pulp and fruit water.
The 2-phase process re quires
very little or no dilution water in

the feed to the DECANTER.
The oil from the FLOTTWEG
DECANTER or TRICANTER ®
is then polished using a disc
stack centrifuge, which separates
the residual amount
of water and solid im purities
to obtain a clean oil. In the
3-phase process, a second
disc stack centrifuge is used
to recover the residual oil from
the water phase.
solids discharge discharge by gravity
feed inlet
FLOTTWEG DECANTER for 2-phase separation FLOTTWEG TRICANTER ® for 3-phase separation
FLOTTWEG DECANTER/TRICANTER ®
for olive oil extraction
The essential part of the
FLOTTWEG DECANTER/
TRICANTER ® is the rotating
part, consisting of a cylindrical/
con ical bowl with a conveyor
scroll inside which rotates at a
differ ential speed. The rotating
part is driven by electric motors
via belt transmission. Feed
enters the bowl through a central
feed pipe. Through ports in
The advantage of the 2-phase
process is low water consumption
and a low amount of waste
water produced, however, the
solid phase turns out to be a
highly humid paste difficult
for further processing, such as
thermal drying and solvent
ex traction of residual oil.
Conver sely, in the 3-phase
process, the solid phase is
significantly dryer and easier
to handle for transportation
and processing. Water con-
the scroll body, the feed pas ses
into the bowl where separation
by centrifugal force takes place.
In a DECANTER, the pro duct is
separated into a liquid pha se
(oil) and a solid phase (stone
debris, pulp, and fruit water).
In a TRICANTER ® the product
is separated into a light liquid
phase (oil), a heavy liquid phase
(water), and a solid phase
sumption and relat ed waste
water production is notice ably
higher than using the 2-phase
process. The de cision of
whether to apply 2- or 3-phase
processing depends on local
and individual circumstances.
In the pomace from the extrac-
tion there is still a certain amount
of residual oil. In order to
re cover this oil, the pomace is
extracted again via a second
stage.
(stone debris and pulp). The
discharge of the separated oil
is done by gravity in both cases,
whereas in a TRICANTER ® ,
the separated water phase
is discharged by an impeller
un der pressure or by gravity.
The separated solids are
con veyed by the scroll to the
con ical end of the bowl and
are dis charged.
Generally, for the second
ex trac tion the sa me kind of
equip ment is used as for the
first extraction. In some cases
there is a de-pitter to separate
the stone debris from the pulp
prior to the second extrac tion.
The pro ducts after the se cond
extrac tion are oil for refi ning or
indus trial use depend ing on the
quality, husk for incineration
(fuel), pulp for fertilizer and
black water for depuration.
solids discharge light phase discharge by gravity
® = registered trademark
in various countries
heavy phase discharge
under pressure
feed inlet
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FLOTTWEG DISC STACK CENTRIFUGES
for optimum olive oil purification
Disc stack centrifuges with
a self cleaning bowl are used
for the separation of oil, water,
and solids. Via a fixed feed
pipe, the product to be separated
enters the inside of the
bowl which rotates at high
speed. The product flow is
divided into multiple thin layers
by the disc stack and a large
surface is created. From the
For power transmission
there is a sturdy and lowmaintenance
belt drive.
The drive-motor control via
disc stack the separated liquids
flow to the upper part of the
bowl where oil is discharged
under pressure via impeller.
The separated water leaves the
bowl by gravity over a ring dam.
Due to high centrifugal force, the
separated solids are packed
tightly against the bowl wall.
Using a hydraulic system in the
bowl bottom the separated
frequency converter ensures
smooth acceleration up
to operational speed and
generator braking.
solids are ejected at full speed.
The hydraulic sys tem of the
FLOTTWEG AC-centrifuge
enables total and partial bowl
discharges.
The opening/closing procedure
is released by a pulse of operation
water directly before the
discharge. Solenoid valves
pro vide an exact proportioning
of the operation water.
FLOTTWEG SEpARATOR AC1500 Separator bowl for 3-phase separation
All monitoring and control
functions of the centrifuge
are handled by a modern
PLC control unit.

With the first separation
by means of FLOTTWEG
DECANTER/TRICANTER ® ,
the second separation via
FLOTTWEG DISC STACK
CENTRIFUGES is critical for
oil quality, yield, and overall
efficiency.
FLOTTWEG SEpARATOR AC1510
Benefits
Virtually no oil loss
during bowl discharge
by fully automated partial discharge
and oil displacement.
® = registered trademark
in various countries
The FLOTTWEG DISC STACK
CENTRIFUGES AC-series
per form both partial and total
bowl discharge in any combination.
The operation is fully
automated via PLC.
Using automatic val ves for
feed and water, the oil content
in the bowl is dis placed by
water prior to bowl discharge.
Reduced air contact
by closed construction of
feed and oil discharge (via
impeller).
Operation via partial discharge
results in virtually no oil loss.
Using the total dis charge,
the bowl stays clean for an
extended period of time.
Depending on olive quality and
operational circumstances, the
most suitable combination can
easily be programmed.
Operator panel
Operation friendly
continuous and automatic
operation by control via PLC.
Reduced downtime
by enhanced cleaning
capability.
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Some factors that make the
FLOTTWEG CENTRIFUGES unique
• Optimal performance in
terms of oil yield, cake dryness,
and power consumption,
even under varying olive
quality and operation conditions
are achieved by:
• Gear drive (VFD)
The bowl is driven via a frequency
controlled motor en-
abling a continuously adjus -
t able bowl speed and a fixed
gear ratio for differential speed.
Torque-dependent differential speed control via FLOTTWEG SIMp-DRIVE ®
Olives can be very different -
FLOTTWEG CENTRIFUGES
make the difference!
® = registered trademark
in various countries
• FLOTTWEG SIMP-DRIVE ®
In addition to the gear drive,
the scroll is driven independently
from the bowl by a
sec ondary motor and via a
special gear box. This allows
for a torque-dependent
differential speed control
which results in optimum
cake dryness when using
the 3-phase process. The
FLOTTWEG SIMP-DRIVE ®
also allows for rotation of
the scroll while the bowl
stands still, thus emptying
the bowl content.
• Adjustable impeller
For optimum oil-water
separation, a highly precise
setting in the liquid discharge
is required. The FLOTTWEG
TRICANTER ® with impeller
enables a continuous adjustment
even during oper ation.
Adjustable impeller

High reliability and availability by
• Unique highly durable
wear protection
All parts exposed to wear
are protected by means of
features such as special hard
facing, wear bushings, and
inserts. Bushings and inserts
are easily exchangeable,
even under field conditions.
Central lubrication system
(manually operated)
Benefits
Optimum oil yield
by taylor made scroll design
for olive oil extraction in
2- and 3-phase separation.
• Efficient bearing lubrication
FLOTTWEG DECANTERS
and TRICANTERS ® can be
equipped with a manually
operated grease-lubrication
device. All bearings are lu bricated
in a single step. The
FLOTTWEG air-oil (droplet)
lubrication is available as an
option for the Z6E machine.
High cake dryness
in 3-phase operation by
torque depending differential
speed control (FLOTTWEG
SIMP-DRIVE ® ).
• Maintenance friendly
The models Z4E and Z5E
are equipped with covers
for the bowl and drive which
are able to be opened by a
single per son without the
need for a lift ing device.
For service and repair jobs
Long life time
by sophisticated wear protection
based on experience
over decades.
the design allows the lifting
of the entire rotor as a single
piece. The gear box is placed
out side the product-wetted
area.
Automatic grease lubrication Oil droplet lubrication system
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Higher profit through 2 nd extraction
1 st extraction
olive mash
total: 100 t
22 t oil
78 t water
+ solids
pomace
2.0 t oil
77.5 t water
+ solids
2 nd extraction
pomace
1.1 t oil
64.0 t water
+ solids
1 st and 2 nd extraction gross yield in oil: 96 %
Mass balance 1 st and 2 nd extraction
Depending on the olive variety
and operation temperature,
85 to over 90 % of the oil is
DECANTER (2-phase)
TRICANTER ® (3-phase)
typically recovered during the
first extraction in 2-phase or
3-phase operation. The oil in
oil
20 t oil
0.5 t water
+ solids
yield in oil: 91%
13.5 t water
0.9 t oil
yield in oil: 41%
the pomace can be further
extracted to some extent
with a second extraction.

Why you should rely on FLOTTWEG
SEPARATION TECHNOLOGY
More than 50 years of
experience in centrifuge
manufacturing including
more than 30 years of successful
providing machinery
for the recovery of olive oil.
Maximum oil yield due to
appropriate machine
design adapted to
the market requirements.
FLOTTWEG DECANTERS in a typical olive oil production plant in Spain
Customer Service
Even the best machinery needs provide our customers with
to be maintained and serviced. service
Over some decades FLOTTWEG
has established a world wide
and spare parts.
service network consisting of Please see www.flottweg.com/
own subsidiaries, branch offic- flottweg-worldwide for service
es, and representatives to in your country.
FLOTTWEG delivers taylor
made systems for olive oil
together with their partners in
the different countries.
References in all olive oil
producing regions of the
world: Spain, Italy, Greece,
Turkey, North Africa, Middle
East, Far East, etc.
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Technical data
FLOTTWEG DISC STACK CENTRIFUGES
Type AC1500-440 SOL AC1510-440 SOL
Materials of
construction
All product wetted parts are made of high grade stainless steel such
as Duplex stainless steel, 1.4571 (AISI 316 Ti), etc.
Max. bowl speed (rpm) 5 700 6 800
Overall Dimensions (in mm)*
L 1 500 1 500
W 1 000 1 000
H 1 800 1 800
Gross weight (in kg)* 1 650 1 650
Motor size (kW)
Bowl drive
Motor size (kW)
Scroll drive
11 kW 15 kW
– –
Capacity* 1 200 l/h 2 000 l/h
* The listed figures are guidelines to be used for information only.

Technical data
FLOTTWEG DECANTER/TRICANTER ®
Z4E Z4E-4 Z5E Z5E-4 Z6E
® = registered trademark
in various countries
All product wetted parts are made of high grade stainless steel such
as Duplex stainless steel, 1.4571 (AISI 316 Ti), etc.
3 500 3 800 3 000 3 500 3 000
3 400 3 400 4 490 4 490 5 180
1 000 1 000 1 590 1 590 1 770
1 200 1 200 1 120 1 120 1 300
2 870 3 000 6 100 6 200 8 500
22 kW 22 kW 37 kW 37 kW 45
– 11 kW** – 22 kW** 22 kW**
50 – 70 metric tons
per day of olive mash
70 – 90 metric tons
per day of olive mash
90 – 120 metric tons
per day of olive mash
* The listed figures are guidelines to be used for information only.
Available in 2-phase (DECANTER) and 3-phase (TRICANTER ® ) execution.
Actual capacity depends on the characteristics of the feed.
** SIMP-DRIVE ®
110 – 150 metric tons
per day of olive mash
200 – 250 metric tons
per day of olive mash
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Representative:
FLOTTWEG SEPARATION –
WORLDWIDE REPUTATION
• Experience
FLOTTWEG has been a world-
wide leading manufacturer of
high performance centrifuges
for more than 50 years.
• Competence
FLOTTWEG provides highest
engineering competence for
optimal integration of our
centrifuges in your process.
• Quality ”Made in Germany“
FLOTTWEG centrifuges are designed
and manufactured in Germany.
All individual parts and components
and each complete centrifuge are
proved according to our strict test
criteria. FLOTTWEG is ISO 9001
certified and manufactures its
products in compliance with all
current technical standards.
FLOTTWEG headquarters in Vilsbiburg near Munich, Germany
• Flexibility
FLOTTWEG offers you customized
so lutions for your sustainable success.
• Strong Partner
FLOTTWEG is a continuously growing
healthy company and can assure you
first class after sales service for the
lifetime of your FLOTTWEG machine.
Use our know-how for
your success – contact us!
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