Filtration of Digester Blow-off

An option for the

next generation
refinery design

Jurgen Hahn
BOKELA GmbH

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1| © BOKELA
2024
Name: Jurgen Hahn

Degree: Diploma in Chemical Engineering at Karlsruhe University, Germany, 1989

Current position: Senior Manager Product and Business Development

Work experience: Jurgen has been involved in the development, design and operation of filter
plants for applications in the ore and materials processing industry for more then 30 years. Jurgen
joined BOKELA company in 1989 and worked in his early years on filter revamping projects world-
wide, dealing with the modification and modernization of numerous filter types as for instance rotary
disc, drum, pan filters, filter presses, Kelly filters etc. in different industries. His practical experience
and know-how gained in these projects was the basis for the development of BOKELA’s high
performance rotary filter technologies. In 2001 Jurgen became sales director of BOKELA and is
internationally regarded as one of the most renowned rotary filter experts. Since 2022 he is
responsible for the communication with all engineering companies worldwide as well as the product
development within the company.

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 FILTRATION IN ALUMINA REFINERIES
fresh caustic liquor

bauxite
grinding + caustic liquor
bauxite storage
from pre-treatment recycling
BoHiBar Disc
pipeline

clarification/ Thickener or red mud

flash tanks digestion flash tanks disposal
mud settling Filter Presses

spent liquor
polishing

pregnant liquor

primary secondary tertiary

precipitation
classification classification thickening
„product“ „coarse seed“ „fine seed“

BoVac Disc BoVac Disc BoVac Disc BoVac Disc BoVac Disc

Al-hydrate
(smelter grade to calciner) oxalate calcium
precipitation oxalate
BoVac Pan Al-hydrate (chemical grade) BoVac Disc

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VIEW OF AN ALUMINA REFINERY

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 LOSS OF EXTRACTABLE ALUMINA
Red side of Bayer process
digestion
p = up to 40 bar pregnant liquor
settler/decanter
T = up to 240 °C to polishing filtration and
flash tank
flash T ≈ 105 - 110°C precipitation
flash tank ca. 2 % loss of extractable alumina
p = 1 bar
tank (gibbsite) in the settlers

ca. 2 % extractable alumina

(gibbsite) stay undigested red mud red mud red mud
washing washing washing

ca. 2 % loss of extractable alumina

(gibbsite) during red mud washing
red mud
dewatering/disposal

up to 6 % loss of extractable alumina (gibbsite) in total

up to 4 % loss in settlers and red mud washers only

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 LOSS OF EXTRACTABLE ALUMINA
Red side of Bayer process
digestion
p = up to 40 bar
T = up to 240 °C
flash tank
flash T ≈ 105 - 110°C pregnant liquor
flash tank to polishing filtration and
p = 1 bar
tank precipitation

red mud red mud

washing washing
direct filtration by BoHiBar Filtration
▪ no cooling down
▪ short residence time

pregnant liquor with red mud

T ≈ 105 …165°C
dewatering/disposal
p ≈ 1 … 6 bar

solids

Target: loss of extractable alumina in settlers & washers minimized to < 1%

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CHALLENGES
For implementation of filtration
The duty
• Filtration within minutes and under pressure to minimize loss
of already dissolved Al into red mud
• Remove as much pregnant liquor from solids as possible

The challenges
• Cake wash on disc filters, if possible
• Filtration at up to 200°C
• Operation without air
• Low feed solids of 50 - 200 g/l
• Filter cloth material

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CAKE WASH
On vacuum disc filters

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 BOHIBAR FILTRATION AT 160°C
With back pressure at filtrate side to prevent flushing

pressure vessel
p1
p3 = patm
3. wash zone
dewatering
P2,3
2. wash zone rotation
p1 = pressure in filter vessel
1. wash
P2,i = pressure in receivers zone
p3 = atmosphere pressure P2,2
p1 > p2,i > p3

DpFiltration = p1 – p2,i feed P2,1

cake formation
Boiling temperatures of H2O wash filtrate

Vapor pressure [bar] 1 2 3 4 5

filter cake filtrate
Boiling temp. [° C] 100 120 133 144 152

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FILTRATION OF PTA
With BoHiBar drum filter

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FILTRATION OF PURE TEREPHTHALIC ACID (PTA)
Under full steam atmosphere (no air) with BoHiBar Drum Filter

TYPICAL PROCESS & OPERATION DATA

Pressure in vessel [bar] 3–6

Temperature [°C] 145 – 165

Solids throughput [tDS/h] 82

Solids in feed [wt-%] 38 – 41

Cake moisture [wt-%] max. 8

Wash efficiency [%] 90

Overall wash ratio [t/t] max. 0.4

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LOW FEED SOLIDS AND FILTER FABRIC

Low feed solids can be dealt with as follows

• More filtration area and/or more filter units
• Use of pressure decanter

Suitable filter fabrics (subject to pilot testing)

• PEEK
• PTFE
• New developments

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ROTARY PRESSURE FILTERS – BOHIBAR FILTERS
Also known as hyperbaric filters

BoHiBar Disc Filter BoHiBar Drum Filter

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BOHIBAR DISC FILTER
Plant design
1. Compressor
2. Slurry
3. Superheated steam
4. Steam cabins
5. Disc filter
6. Pressure vessel
7. Filtrate receiver
8. Cake blow-off tank
9. Discharge sluice
10. Filtrate
11. Filter cake

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FILTRATION OF BAUXITE
With hyperbaric disc filter

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 FILTRATION OF DIGESTER BLOW-OFF
• 1 Mio t/a alumina → 2 Mio t/a red mud
• Ca. 250 t/h solids to be filtered
• Use of pressure decanter considered

BoHiBar Disc Filter S168 BoHiBar Drum Filter XL26

• Exp. solids throughput: 100 – 150 t/h • Exp. solids throughput: 20 – 25 t/h
• 3 units (2 operating + 1 standby) • 12 units (10 operating + 2 standby)
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FILTRATION OF DIGESTER BLOW-OFF
With one filtration stage

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FILTRATION OF DIGESTER BLOW-OFF
With two filtration stages
Duties of 2nd filtration stage
• Remove as much dissolved
Al as possible
• Reduce moisture of red mud
for safer disposal

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THE FILTRATION PEOPLE

Thank you for your attention.

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