HAUS Centrifuge Applications by Industry: Environmental, Food, Oil, and Industrial

Centrifugal separators operate on centrifugal force (G-force): as the bowl spins at high speed, phases with different densities stratify — the heavier phase is pushed outward, the lighter phase moves inward. The key difference lies in how HAUS implements this principle for each specific separation problem.

In a decanter (horizontal scroll centrifuge), the conical-cylindrical bowl spins at high speed while a differential-speed scroll conveyor pushes settled solids toward the conical end, with the liquid phase overflowing at the opposite end. This is the choice when the feed has high solids content and continuous separation is required. In a disk-stack separator, dozens of stacked conical discs divide the flow into thin layers and drive G-force very high to separate phases with close density values — a precision task the decanter cannot achieve.

This is the classic centrifuge application in wastewater treatment plants. Post-settling or biological sludge is typically dilute, occupies large volumes, and incurs high transportation costs. The HAUS DDE decanter receives polymer-conditioned sludge, uses differential speed between the bowl and scroll to dewater it, and produces a drier sludge cake while the clarified liquid phase is returned to the system.

The dryness of the sludge cake depends simultaneously on G-force, scroll differential speed, and polymer dosage — so even the same machine requires fine-tuning to match each plant’s sludge characteristics. With a flow rate range of 1–180 m³/h and bowl sizes from 200–800 mm, the DDE series covers everything from small treatment stations to industrial-scale plants, with stainless steel AISI 304/316 providing corrosion resistance against acidic or high-salt wastewater. See also the wastewater treatment solutions page.

In the food industry, the separation challenge splits into two layers. The first layer involves coarser solid-liquid separation — pressing cake, separating protein, cleaning raw materials — handled by the DDF decanter in a hygienic stainless steel configuration with food-contact surfaces that meet food safety requirements. The second layer involves fine phase separation handled by the disk-stack separator D/I/F series: cream separation from milk, fruit juice clarification, vegetable oil and fish oil separation.

For olive oil specifically, HAUS offers an integrated production line combining decanter and separator to continuously separate oil, water, and solids. HAUS’s ISO 22000 certification and AISI 304/316 stainless steel construction are the reasons this product line suits processing plants with strict hygiene control requirements. See also the food and beverage solutions page.

Industrial applications are characterized by demanding process fluids: corrosive solutions, abrasive mineral particles, and oil-water-solids mixtures. The DDI decanter is configured for these tasks — separating solids from chemical streams, thickening mineral slurries, and separating oil in oil & gas processing chains. Stainless steel AISI 316 is typically selected when the process fluid is more corrosive than what AISI 304 can handle.

Because solids content in these applications can vary significantly, operating parameters (bowl speed, scroll differential speed) must be determined based on each specific process fluid rather than applying a fixed configuration. This is when consulting with an application engineer to finalize the appropriate model and material selection is recommended.

Before going into model details, you can scope your application with three questions. First, does the feed contain a high proportion of solids — if yes, lean toward a decanter; if you need to separate two liquids with similar densities, lean toward a separator. Second, does the product come into contact with food — if yes, prioritize a hygienic stainless steel configuration and ISO 22000 certification. Third, is the process fluid highly corrosive — if yes, consider stainless steel AISI 316 instead of 304.

Once the scope is established, detailed parameters such as actual flow rate, target sludge cake dryness, and polymer dosage will determine the specific model within the 200–800 mm bowl range. For a detailed comparison between the two machine families, refer to the decanter vs. separator comparison article in this cluster.