VINCENT CP-12 Manual

Operations &
Maintenance Manual
Vincent Corporation
CP-6 TO CP-12
Screw Press
Vincent Corporation
2810 East 5th Avenue
Tampa, FL 33605-5638
www.vincentcorp.com
[e-mail]

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Contents
Overview 5
Safety 5
Rigging 6
Installation 6
Press Components 8
A/B/C Plates 8
Air Regulator 9
Discharge Cone 10
Cone Bushing 11
Screw / Screw Configurations 12
Wing Feeders 13
Notches 15
Resistor Teeth 15
Screens 16
Cord Cutter and Stripper Pins 18
Motor / Gearbox 18
A-Plate Shaft Seal 19
Variable Frequency Drives (VFD's) 19
Vincent Cone Timers (VCT's) 20
Start up 21
Screw Speed (RPM) 21
Feeding the Press / Pre-Thickening 21
Building a Plug 23
Additional Hints 24
Vacuum Effect 24

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Instruments 24
Stopping the Press 24
Double Pressing 25
Moisture Content 25
Compression 26
Measuring Throughput 26
Screw Life 26
Pie Cutting 27
Jamming / Plugging 28
Screen Blinding 29
Channeling 30
Purging 30
Bridging 31
Fluid Injection 31
Polymer Usage 32
Press Aid 32
Hydrated Lime, Gypsum, and Alum 32
Cleaning 32
Maintenance 34
Checking Screw to Screen Clearance 34
Screen Removal and Replacement 35
Screw Removal and Replacement 35
Lubrication 38
Nomenclature Drawing 40
Parts List 41
General Assembly Drawing 42
Manuals for Purchased Items 44
TECHTOP Motor
NORD Gearbox
Regulator/Lubricator and Three-Position Valve
Vacon VFD

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Overview
The Vincent CP Press consists of a screw rotating within a screen housing, a flanged inlet
hopper, and a discharge opening. At the discharge end, the mouth of the screen housing is
closed by a pneumatically activated cone which moves back and forth on the screw shaft in
proportion to the internal pressure in the screen frame. This motion is opposed by the cone's
two cylinders' thrust, thereby regulating the discharge of solids. An air regulator is provided to
adjust the pressure on the cone. The liquids, which are squeezed from the wet product, escape
through the screen housing and are caught in a built-in pan under the screen.
The screw is driven by a fixed speed electric motor that is C-face mounted to a gearbox. The
gearbox reduces the RPM's from the (typically) 1750RPM output of the motor to an appropriate
speed for the application, 5 - 50 RPM. The hollow bore gearbox mounts directly on the screw
shaft and is flange mounted to the machine.
The numbers in the model designation stand for the nominal diameter of the screw in inches.
As the press has been adapted to many different applications, options have been added to the
press. These include interrupted or continuous flighted screws, conical screws where the shaft
increases in diameter, different shape inlet hoppers, different style cones, etc. As a result, not all
the information contained in this manual will apply to your press.
Safety
A screw press, like any screw conveyor, is totally unforgiving. If clothing or a limb gets
caught in a rotating screw, the screw will not stop.
·Wear safety glasses around the press.
·Avoid loose-fitting jewelry or clothing,
including high-visibility safety vests. If vests are required, the Velcro, tear-away type
are recommended.
·Always lock out electric and compressed air
before working on the press.
·Dewatering presses squirt liquid out,
particularly if screen covers are removed. If material is hot, acidic, or caustic, do not
remove screen covers while operating.
·Wear gloves when performing maintenance.
·When removing the tailstock and discharge mechanism, watch for pinch points and
hinged assemblies. Be careful when removing or installing the screw and screen
when they are fed through the C-plate as this is a particular pinch point.
·Never stand near a press being suspended during installation.
·Provide an E-stop button near the press.
·Keep hands out of the press inlet and press cake discharge area.

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Rigging
Be sure to properly support the press when lifting it from the truck. Usually a sling
positioned under the inlet hopper, on the side closest to the gearbox, finds the center of
gravity. On bigger presses, do not lift just one end of the press, as it is possible for the frame
to deflect, shifting the screw within the press.
Installation
These presses are typically called horizontal screw presses. This doesn't mean that the
presses have to be installed exactly level from inlet to discharge. Presses are often installed
at an upward angle. Consult the factory if you need to install the press at an angle above
15% as an adjustment to the gearbox may be required.
Be careful not to rack the press when tightening the mounting bolts. In the case of large
presses, do not just bolt or weld the press down to a level foundation! Instead, first place the
press where it is to be installed. Next, place shims between the press frame and the steelwork
(or floor, concrete pedestal or foundation) to fill any gap where the press is to be anchored.
Only after shimming (or grouting) should the press be pulled down tight. Doing otherwise
can rack the frame of the press, and this can cause screw-to-screen interference.
A large press must be mounted solidly, preferably to a foundation or structural steel. If a
press draws its full rated horsepower without the press being anchored to the floor, the frame
of the press can twist.
For maintenance, the screw is removed through the cake discharge end of the press. Allow
the space required.
To suit individual conditions, a hollow bore gearbox can be rotated 180o, even 90oeither
way. Consult the owner's manual or factory in these situations as it is likely that the oil level
in the gearbox will have to be adjusted.
Material can be fed into the press many ways. You may need to allow for return feed of
overflow material in the event that more is fed to the press than it can take. When material is
piped to a press in a closed piping system, it is important to have a 2" vent line open to the
atmosphere, along with an overflow return line. The vent is necessary to prevent a siphon
effect which can induce a vacuum in the inlet hopper and reduce press capacity. The return
line should empty above the surface of the return pit. The overflow should fill less than half
of the cross section of the return line.
Spill containment is a consideration which should be taken into account, because it may be
possible for un-pressed material to purge from the cake discharge of a press.

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We recommend that a manual disconnect, for killing power to the motor, be installed close to
the press.
A variable frequency drive (VFD) programmed for either variable speed or auto-reversing
may be required, depending on the application. If not, the use of a reversing starter switch is
recommended; they cost only a little extra. Such a switch is handy for clearing a jammed
press.
It is possible that, when operating intermittently with very wet material left in the press
between runs, the liquid may loosen the cake plug at the discharge. This might cause the
plug to blow out upon start-up. To minimize this condition, the press can be installed with
the discharge tilted upwards.

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Press Components
A-B-C-D PLATES
There are five vertical plates making up the frame of the press, called out in the
Nomenclature drawing at the end of this manual. Starting from the drive end of a press with
a hollow bore gearbox, the first one is the Adapter Plate. The gearbox is bolted to the adapter
plate. Through four spacers, the adapter plate is welded to the A Plate. This A Plate forms
one wall of the inlet hopper. The shaft seal housing is bolted to the A Plate.
The next plate is the B Plate. It forms the downstream wall of the inlet hopper. The screen
starts at the B Plate. Some presses will be supplied with a notch, called a Cord Cutter, in the
B plate. Also, there may be a bar called Brian's Stripper welded to the B Plate, inside the
inlet hopper; it is in a position to kiss the edge of the screw flight as it passes. These two
features prevent long fiber pieces from balling up at the exit of the inlet hopper. See the
section ahead on Cord Cutters.
The next plate, the C Plate, supports the discharge end of the screen. The discharge cone
touches the C Plate when the cone is in the closed position.
The final plate, the D plate has the twin air cylinders mounted on it. The screw shaft
terminates at the D plate via the attached flange bearing.

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Air Regulator/Three-Position Valve
To regulate the air pressure of the discharge air cylinder, presses are supplied with an air
pressure regulator along with a Parker three-position valve (sometimes called a four-way
valve). These are typically installed near the cone end of the press. (Until recently FRL
(Filter, Regulator, Lubricator) sets were provided to regulate air pressure. Most air cylinder
manufacturers now recommend against the use of lubricators.)
The Parker valve allows manual selection of the shut, open, or "neutral" position. This valve
connects air supply from the regulator to one end of the air cylinder, while simultaneously
Filter/Regulator

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opening the other end to atmosphere. The vent line on the three-position valve allows air to
escape when pressure is switched from one end of the air cylinders to the other.
Continuous air flow from the Parker vent line indicates a leak inside one of the air cylinder,
or possibly a faulty three-position valve.
The neutral position of the Parker valve is used only in testing. If left in the neutral position,
the cone will not move unless it is pushed open by press cake. If, later, the flow of press
cake is diminished, the cone will remain in the position to which it was pushed, and purging
can occur.
Discharge Cone
The principal adjustment of the press is made with the discharge cone. The cone is the
component at the cake discharge end of the press that acts as a door or stopper plug to restrict
material from leaving the press. The more pressure exerted by the discharge cone, the drier
the cake material will be leaving the press. Also, the motor amps can be expected to increase
with added pressure, and throughput may decrease.
The discharge cone is moved in (actuated) by twin air cylinders. Typical air cylinder
pressures are in the range of 30 to 60 psi. Some materials will press only in a low range, say
10 to 20 psi. Other materials may press best with a pressure of 60 to 100 psi. Air
consumption is minimal in all models, 1 to 2 cfm.
During initial, first-time start up, presses with air cylinder actuators are generally started up
with the discharge cone in the withdrawn position. This will avoid an unnecessary jam.
With the air cylinder models, the discharge cone mechanism can readily be positioned in the
"open" (withdrawn or "out") position.
Note that with many materials it is necessary to start the press with the discharge cone in the
closed position at low air pressure. Thin or soupy materials, like pumped manure or clarifier
underflow, can tend to purge right through the press if the press is operated with the
discharge cone open (in the withdrawn ("out") position). However, with materials that are
dry to begin with, such as sawdust or plastic wash tank sludge, it becomes more important to
start with the discharge cone in the open position. This is because these materials may tend to
jam or overload the press. Similarly, high freeness materials, from which the water falls
away freely, will have a tendency to jam in a press. Be sure to start the press with the cone
open, and gradually close it with low air pressure, when running such materials for the first
time.
Once you are through the initial start up, it will be unlikely that your press should have the
cone open before starting. Most operators rarely open or shut the cone once it is set.
As the pressure on the discharge cone is increased, not only will the cake become drier, but
the flow through the press may also be reduced. With very slippery or slimy feed material it
may be possible to apply enough discharge cone pressure to stop the flow altogether.
High discharge cone pressures can result in increased quantities of suspended solids in the
press liquor.