When solid/liquid mixtures with a high proportion of solids have to be separated, decanter centrifuges are the preferred solution. Every Flottweg decanter centrifuge is manufactured with experience gained from over 60 years of centrifuge design and more than 1,000 applications offered. In contrast to filters for solid-liquid separation, decanter centrifuges run continuously.

The basic working principle of decanters can be summarised as the separation of the phases in the mixture fed to the feeding zone by cyclic acceleration, the solid phase is collected on the wall of the drum because it has a higher density, the screw blades scrape and compress the solid and carry it to the discharge point. The liquid phase leaves the system under the effect of gravity.