Can we construct a plant for filtration of liquids and particulates without the use of consumables? This is a question being asked more and more of BELKI teknik ApS from customers in both domestic and international markets. BELKI teknik ApS is pleased to inform our existing customer’s that such a plant from BELKI has now been operating for a year at Edessö in Germany.  As a direct result of working very closely with our customer, we were able to successfully launch this new design and meet their demanding expectations including no use of disposable media.  We now stand ready to support any company should they experience the same issues, and wish to have delivered a large system using the same principles applied to solving this task. At BELKI, we thrive on our creative abilities and in a process of user-driven innovation. We are proud of our company being known to take our standard products and adapting them to individual users' problems.

New System Concept:  The new facility has both machining centers and grinding machines, which need a constant supply of clean liquids. In this case, the grinding machines created a significant volume of very fine particles in the liquid, which impacted and shortened the tool life, if not filtered away.

The customer would need two central filtration systems.  The first was a traditional system for machining centers including a magnetic filter for very small particles, an efficient oil separator and automatic liquid filling; with the total configuration designed for a minimum of maintenance.

The second system was for grinding machines and was the biggest challenge requiring customization. The cooperation between the customer and BELKI was critical for the central filtration system to meet several needs:

• Filtering without consumables
• Flexible and sufficient capacity
• Removal of very small abrasive particles
• Removal of large quantities of particles
• Uniform supply pressure regardless of the number of connected grinders
• Energy efficiency
• Reliability

The first step in the filtering process is a cascading inlet which reduces the liquid velocity before it leaves the bulk of the particulate/sediment at the bottom of the tub. Here they are removed by a scraper station and taken to a chip container.

In the second stage the stream is pumped through  BELKI teknik  proprietary Hydrocyclones. Here the second stage of filtration is realized, removing even particles down to 20 microns with the purified liquid,  collected in a retention  tank where a return supply pump is located. "We have experienced outstanding results, therefore quite pleased with our new hydrocyclone design and efficiency.  It is proven to answer the many challenges the customer asked us to address, many of which have previously been difficult to resolve" says BELKI's CEO and inventor Ivan Skjellerup.

The supply system (return of clean material), is also an interesting new development which achieves tremendous energy efficiency. Normally installations for grinding fluid streams always require full-flow systems, therefore   very large quantities have to be transported to the filtration equipment.  Our design utilizes two supply pumps, one to ensure that there is always liquid available, a second as on-demand back up.  A PLC control ensures rotation of the two pumps. Inverters and pressure transmitter ensures that there is always the same supply pressure no matter how many grinding machines working. Energy conservation is ensured as automatically the plant is switched off when there is no need for the liquid to be continuously cleaned, but the system has an extremely fast re-start as the grinding machines again call for liquid.

"We enjoy working with demanding customers such as Edessö in Germany , as they help to develop our innovative thinking, and give us the ability to exchange open ideas, and unlimited resources creating the optimal solution for them.  And when the customer is satisfied, we are pleased that the joint effort was the right approach "states Mr. Skjellerup.