The two BoVac Disc Filters L176 with a filtration area of each 176 m² are used in a coal preparation plant in Australia for the filtration of flotation coal concentrate. One disc filter has a foot print of approx. 60 m² and replaces one belt filter with a foot print of 200 m² (50 m x 4 m). 

The slurry to be filtered is an ultrafine clean coal slurry (flotation concentrate) with particles of a nominal top size of 300 µm and a nominal feed solids concentration of 38 wt.- %. Each filter has to match varying feed conditions requiring a specific solids throughput of 517 kg/m²/h (nominal) up to 812 kg/m²/h (maximum) with varying feed concentrations ranging from 35 wt.- % to 56 wt.- %

For this performance the filters run with a filter speed of 0.5 rev/min up to 1.7 rev/min. The filters are also capable to match worst case feed conditions with peak feed flow, minimum feed solids concentration and finer particles of 80 % < 130 µm (finer than nominal top size of 300 µm) however on the cost of an increased moisture which then ranges to some 30 wt.- %.

In terms of maintenance the filter requires very little input. The majority of the work is changing the polymer filter cloth. With a typical cloth life time of 6 months, every 1.5 months the cloths on one disc are changed. Apart from re-clothing no further extensive work is required. That's why the BoVac Disc filter has a very high availability of > 98 %.