Chamber Filter Press

In short: A chamber filter press (recessed plate filter press) is the workhorse of solid-liquid separation: slurry is pumped at 0.6–1.0 MPa into chambers formed by reinforced PP plates, filtrate passes through the cloth and a 25–45 % moisture cake stays behind. Senjie builds 630–2000 mm chamber presses with 2–800 m² filtration area for mining tailings, coal slurry, chemical, ceramic and municipal sludge, in manual, semi-automatic and PLC-automatic versions.

Recessed-chamber filter presses with 630–2000 mm polypropylene plates, 0.6–1.6 MPa feed pressure and manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic hydraulic closing — for mining tailings, chemical, municipal and industrial sludge.

View Specifications

Quick answer: A chamber (recessed-plate) filter press dewaters slurry by pumping it into chambers formed between recessed polypropylene plates; solids build up as cake on the filter cloth and clear filtrate drains out, then the press opens and the cake drops. Choose the plate size and number of chambers from your daily dry solids and cycle time, and the closing type — manual, semi-hydraulic or fully automatic hydraulic — from how many cycles a day you run.

Key figures at a glance

Plate sizes: 630, 800, 1000, 1250, 1500 and 2000 mm
Feed pressure: 0.6–1.6 MPa, depending on pump and plate rating
Chamber depth: typically 25–40 mm per chamber (cake thickness)
Cake moisture: 60–75% on sludge, 15–30% on mineral slurries (slurry-dependent)
Cycle time: 1–4 h on sludge, 20–60 min on fast-filtering mineral slurries

How a chamber filter press works

Fully automatic chamber filter press with plate pack and hydraulic closing

A hydraulic cylinder presses the plate pack together so that the recessed faces of neighbouring plates form sealed chambers, each lined with filter cloth. A feed pump fills the chambers through the centre feed hole; as pressure rises to 0.6–1.6 MPa, solids are retained on the cloth and filtrate passes through the plate drainage surface to the outlet ports. When filtrate flow falls off the chambers are full of cake, the feed stops, the press opens and the cakes are discharged plate by plate.

Manual, semi-hydraulic or fully automatic?

Closing type	How it closes and opens	Typical use
Manual	Hand-operated hydraulic pump or screw closes the pack; plates shifted by hand	Small presses, one or two cycles a day, lowest cost
Semi-hydraulic (semi-automatic)	Electric hydraulic power pack closes and holds pressure automatically; plates shifted by hand	The usual default for small and medium plants
Fully automatic hydraulic	PLC-controlled closing, pressure hold, automatic plate shifter; optional cake discharge aids and cloth washing	Many cycles a day, large presses, limited operator time

Typical configurations by plate size

Plate size	Filter area per chamber (approx.)	Typical number of chambers	Cake volume per chamber at 30 mm
630 mm	0.6 m²	10–40	about 0.01 m³
800 mm	1.0 m²	15–60	about 0.015 m³
1000 mm	1.6 m²	20–80	about 0.025 m³
1250 mm	2.5 m²	30–100	about 0.04 m³
1500 mm	3.7 m²	40–120	about 0.055 m³
2000 mm	6.5 m²	60–150	about 0.1 m³

These are typical engineering ranges, not fixed models: the press is configured to your slurry. To turn them into a size, work from dry solids per day — the method and a worked example are in how to calculate filter press capacity and how many filter plates you need.

Chamber, membrane or plate-and-frame?

Choose a chamber press for general dewatering where a standard cake is acceptable and capital cost matters. Move to a membrane filter press when a drier cake or shorter cycle pays back in disposal or transport cost, and to a plate-and-frame press for small batches, thin cakes or when the cake must come out intact. The plate differences are compared in recessed chamber plate vs membrane plate.

Where chamber filter presses are used

Mining tailings and concentrate

Stackable tailings cake and recovered process water; see tailings and concentrate dewatering.

Municipal and industrial sludge

Conditioned biological and chemical sludge dewatered for landfill or drying; see wastewater sludge dewatering.

Stone, sand and ceramic slurry

Fast-filtering mineral slurries with clear water returned to the process; see stone and building materials.

Chemical, food and pharmaceutical

PP or stainless construction and food-contact cloth where hygiene and chemical resistance matter.

What to send for a quotation

Slurry type and solids content, daily volume or tonnes of dry solids, target cake moisture, temperature and pH, and site voltage. A slurry sample lets us run a filtration test and size the press on real cycle time and moisture.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a manual, semi-hydraulic and hydraulic chamber filter press?

All three use the same chamber plates; they differ in how the plate pack is closed and opened. A manual press closes with a hand-operated hydraulic pump or screw; a semi-hydraulic (semi-automatic) press closes and holds pressure with an electric hydraulic power pack but plates are shifted by hand; a fully automatic hydraulic press adds automatic pressure hold, plate shifting and often cloth washing under PLC control.

What cake moisture does a chamber filter press achieve?

On municipal and industrial sludge a chamber press typically produces 60–75% moisture; on mineral slurries such as tailings, sand and stone slurry 15–30% is common. The real figure depends on particle size, conditioning and final feed pressure, and is confirmed by a filtration test on your sample.

How long is a chamber filter press cycle?

Typically 1–4 hours from feed start to cake discharge for sludge, and 20–60 minutes for fast-filtering mineral slurries. Cycle time sets how many cycles you get per day and therefore the press size you need.

When should I choose a membrane press instead?

When a drier cake or shorter cycle pays back in disposal, drying or transport cost. A membrane press squeezes the cake after filtration and usually removes a further 5–15 percentage points of moisture, at a higher plate cost.