Parallel Centrifugal Separators for Agricultural Wastewater Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural processing establishments face challenges in achieving USDA microbial performance standards due to the presence of solid and liquid contaminants, such as feathers, fecal matter, and insoluble fats, which interact with antimicrobials like peracetic acid, reducing their effectiveness and increasing microbial loads.
Innovation Solution
A centripetal force-based solid/liquid separator system using centrifugal pumps and separators to remove insoluble materials from aqueous streams, maintaining cleaner liquid conditions and reducing microbial counts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If antimicrobial interventions are used to reduce microbial loads, then microbial reduction is achieved, but solid and liquid contaminants interact with the antimicrobials rendering them less effective
Solution Approach 1:
The separator system removes solid and liquid contaminants from aqueous streams before antimicrobial interventions are applied. This preliminary separation action prevents contaminants from interacting with and deactivating antimicrobials, ensuring their effectiveness in reducing microbial loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and removes harmful solid contaminants (feathers, fecal matter, ingesta) and insoluble liquids (fats) from the aqueous stream using centrifugal separation. This extraction eliminates the harmful factors that would otherwise interfere with antimicrobial action.
2Reliability
If solids and insoluble liquids are present in processing water, then they serve as food sources for microbes, but removing them requires additional processing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex chemical or biological treatment methods with a mechanical centrifugal separation system. The centrifugal pump and separator use mechanical forces to remove solids and insoluble liquids, providing a simpler and more direct solution to eliminating microbial food sources.
3Productivity
If water streams are used extensively in processing, then processing operations can be performed, but water becomes contaminated with solids and insoluble liquids
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously discards separated contaminants (solids and insoluble liquids) from the aqueous stream while recovering and maintaining water quality for continued use in processing operations. This allows extensive water use to support high productivity while maintaining water quality through ongoing separation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces turbidity, microbial loads, and insoluble solids, enhancing compliance with USDA standards by maintaining cleaner water quality and reducing maintenance costs.
Implementation Method 1
A centripetal force-based solid/liquid separator system using centrifugal pumps and separators to remove insoluble materials from aqueous streams
Implementation Method 2
A centripetal force-based solid/liquid separator system using centrifugal pumps and separators
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural processing system includes a process that uses water and produces wastewater having insoluble solids, a pump configured to receive and pressurize the wastewater from the process, and a plurality of centrifugal separators connected in parallel and configured to receive the wastewater from the pump. The separators are each configured to separate out the insoluble solids from the wastewater to produce a cleaned wastewater.