Peltzer And The Merrill Co. - Dorr-Oliver Alumni

industry. Merco grew rapidly.
Dorr-Oliver Acquisition
In 1957, The Merrill Co. sold this entity to Dorr-Oliver, which was a larger equipment company
selling to a broader market. This encouraged further expansion.
The factory was moved to Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and the staff into the D-0 headquarters in
Stamford, Connecticut, and into regional sales offices.
Product Development
During the 1930's, Merco centrifuges were of the 16" I.D. size. This was considered large at that
time. All the units were made for handling large quantities of solids in round-the-clock production
plants. The centrifuges were designed to serve continuously for many years. This is still the
case.
After WW-II, most of the units sold were 30" I.D. size and nearly every unit sold since then is
still in full-time service. Some have revolved more than 25 billion times. (This compares with
the earth which has revolved around the sun about 4.5 billion times so far.)
After D-O acquired Merco, there was a spurt in new development work and new types and
sizes of Mercos were introduced so as to serve a wider market. This included versions for
high pressure (156 psi) and temperature (450°F), for liquid-liquid separations, for more
corrosive service, higher speeds, improved sanitation, and, most recently, our largest model,
which is now the Merco H-36.
The Merco H-36 is the largest disc-nozzle centrifuge in the world, and we have sold over
eighty of these thus far. We have had units in full-time service since 1974, and they have
proven very successful and most economic. In fact, their low Hp usage is a prime factor in
their selection.
In addition, we also now have a line of screen solid bowl centrifuges - the Mercones –
and a line of solid-bowl centrifuges the MercoBowls.
The broadening of our product line enables us to serve more markets and we thus learn
more about how to design and build equipment to satisfy diverse requirements. This, we
feel, means progress.
RWH
1 Jan 83