How Alfa Laval oil separator works?

Answer 1

It works due to the oil having a lower specific gravity then water, in other words oil is lighter then water, if you mix oil and water in a jar and leave it over a period of time the mix will separate and the oil will float to the top because it is lighter, this is caused by gravity. in a separator this process is speed up by filling the bowl full of oil/water/impurities of different specific gravities and spinning it at high speed this results in a large centrifugal force acting on the fluid several times greater the natural gravity of earth, this means the fluid separates faster with the heavy impurities thrown to the outer edge of the bowl with the water next then the oil. The oil then leaves the center of the bowl cleaner then it was when it entered. Due to this separation you have a oil water interface the water can also get taped off here if you have a large water content in the oil. the impurities will just build up unless the bowl is self cleaning meaning in a set period of time it goes through a cleaning cycle that makes a opening at the extremities of the bowl allowing the impurities to exit and collect in a sludge tank. I hope this helps