In oil refining and fractionation production, solid-liquid separation efficiency directly impacts product quality and yield. Whether separating bleaching earth from oil in the bleaching section or separating crystallized stearin from liquid olein in the fractionation section, filtration equipment is a key factor determining overall line performance.

In Ocean's oil fractionation production line solutions, the vertical pressure leaf filter serves as a high-efficiency, closed-system filtration device designed specifically for these applications.

Equipment Features:

The filter uses multi-layer stainless steel filter leaves as the filtration medium, completing automatic operations — feeding, filtration, cake blowing, and discharge — within a sealed tank. The fully enclosed structure eliminates oil vapor emissions, meeting environmental and food safety requirements. The stainless-steel filter leaves are robust and have a significantly longer service life than the filter cloths used in conventional plate-and-frame filters.

In fractionation applications, the crystallized slurry contains solid stearin crystals that must be separated by filtration. The equipment features an efficient cake blowing function — using compressed air or steam to dry the filter cake before discharge — reducing residual oil in the cake to a low level and significantly improving fractionation yield.

Cake discharge uses vibratory technology: compressed air drives a vibrator, causing the filter leaves to vibrate at high frequency and automatically dislodge the cake. The discharge valve is a large-diameter pneumatic butterfly valve for rapid and complete cake removal.

Automation and Dual-Unit Configuration:

The entire filtration sequence — feeding, circulation, filtration, cake blowing, and discharge — can be automatically controlled by a PLC. Unlike conventional plate-and-frame filters that require manual unloading and cloth cleaning, the vertical pressure leaf filter completes automatic discharge in just minutes, greatly reducing labor intensity.

Since the filter operates in batch mode, two or more units are typically configured to operate alternately — one filtering while the other discharges and stands by — ensuring continuous production.

Application Value:

In fish oil fractionation, palm oil fractionation, oil dewaxing, bleaching, and other sections requiring efficient solid-liquid separation, the vertical pressure leaf filter — with its closed operation, automatic discharge, low residual oil, and long-life filter leaves — has become the standard choice for modern oil processing plants.

Ocean provides full-chain services from process design and equipment selection to installation and commissioning, delivering efficient and reliable filtration solutions for clients' fractionation lines.