Building a Simple Centrifuge

[True Knight]

After doing some research off and on for the last few years, I finally decided to start my WMO adventures. I ordered a centrifuge bowl from simple centrifuge and a Baldor motor to get started.

For the bottom base plate I used a 12" round, 1/4" thick plate that has been sitting in the garage for probably 50+ years. I cleaned it up a lot (it was rusty and pitted) and drilled the holes for the motor shaft and mounting. I am having a friend get me a 1/8" thick spacer ring to go between the motor and the plate from scraps he has at work.

For the side wall I got a strip of 1/8" plate (10" wide) cut to 37.7" long to put along the outside of the round plate. I cut a 2" wide strip off to make an inner oil shield to keep oil away from the motor shaft and mounting bolts. I cut this 2" strip to 25.5" to fit close to the outside of the bowl. Now I just have to bend these strips into round circles.

This is my progress so far. I will continue more when I get a few more days off work.

 

[True Knight]

Sorry, the pics didn't upload the first time.

 

[Tlauden]

Sweet!!

 

[gimpyrobb]

SO, what speed is the motor? I "know a guy" that used a pressure cooker as his bowl housing, might save you some fab work. Is there a formula to figure G-force of the bowl? Would a larger bowl make more or just give you the ability to clean more oil?

Does it show I have been thinking about making one too?

 

[True Knight]

The motor is a 3450 rpm motor. I was thinking of using a steel pot or something, but I had this round plate that was begging to be used for something. And I really enjoy doing fab work, so win win. Ha ha.

The rotor holds quite a bit of oil, and it will be able to clean oil at a higher rate than I will probably ever put through it. There are some g-force calculators on the simple centrifuge website. I liked this type of system best because I can set the oil flow as fast or as slow as I want.

 

[True Knight]

Here is what I got done today. Got the spacer ring for the motor and welded it to the bottom plate. Bent the inner oil ring into a circle and welded it to the plate, and started bending the outside wall. It being 10" tall, it is a little harder to bend than I expected. Ha ha... I heat it up and bend it an inch or two at a time. Hopefully I'll get to work on it more tomorrow or wednesday.

 

[camp9]

Post a video if you can when its working, I think this is great!!

 

[True Knight]

Post a video if you can when its working, I think this is great!!

Roger, wilco.

 

[True Knight]

Today I finished the outside wall and tested it for leaks. It was easier to bend after I bolted it to a large 1/2" steel plate and used lots of heat. The bolt heads will have to be ground down to clear the bottom of the bowl.

 

[True Knight]

Well I have been busy with work lately, but I did a little work on this project today. No pics cause it looks the same as it did in the last pic. Ha ha. What I did today was drill larger holes in the bottom plate to essentially counter sink the bolts a bit. Once I bolted it down no more rubbing. I started it up and it ran smooth.

Next up I need to come up with a way to mount the dirty and clean oil drums and the centrifuge in between. Also drill the clean oil outlet and plumb that to the clean oil drum. A little progress at a time