Bucket Wheel Washers (Impeller Washers)

Bucket washers (or paddle washers) are high-efficiency machines designed specifically for washing fine aggregate (sand) in the 0-5 mm range, removing unwanted materials such as clay and silt, and most importantly, recovering valuable fine material that is at risk of being lost with the wash water.

Working Principle: Sedimentation, Transport and Dewatering

The operating principle of bucket washers is based on a simple but effective combination of gravity and mechanical transport:

• Feeding and Sedimentation: The sand and water mixture to be washed (the slurry) is fed into a sedimentation basin, a calm basin at the rear of the machine. In this basin, the water's velocity slows down and the more dense sand grains settle to the bottom under the influence of gravity.
• Handling and Washing: Perforated buckets mounted on a large, slowly rotating wheel continuously collect the sand that settles to the bottom. As the buckets move upward, the water inside them filters through the holes and returns to the pool. This process rinses the sand once again.
• Dewatering and Draining: Once the water has completely drained, the buckets reach the top of the wheel and transfer the dehumidified sand they carry to a discharge chute and onto the stock conveyor.
• Slime and Dirty Water Disposal: Clay, silt and other unwanted fine particles that are lighter than sand grains remain suspended in the pool and are thrown out with the dirty water through adjustable weirs located at the rear of the boat.

Key Features and Benefits

• High Recovery: It minimizes product loss by effectively recovering valuable fine sand grains that may be lost with the wash water.
• Low Humidity: Thanks to effective dewatering, it provides the final product with low moisture content suitable for storage and shipping.
• Low Energy Consumption: Thanks to its simple and efficient mechanical design, it consumes less energy than other systems that perform similar work.
• Easy Maintenance and Operation: Having few moving parts simplifies maintenance and reduces operating costs.
• Flexible Capacity Options: It can be produced with single or double impellers (buckets) depending on project needs, which adapts to different capacity requirements.