Project Case Study · FRP Process Equipment
FRP Lamella Plate Packs for High-Rate Clarifiers & Thickeners
Corrosion-resistant, modular FRP lamella (inclined-plate) packs that multiply settling capacity in a compact footprint — engineered, fabricated and fully QC-documented by Crimar, then export-crated for delivery worldwide.
Project overview
A process operator needed to increase solid-liquid separation capacity without building a bigger tank. Crimar engineered and fabricated a set of large FRP lamella plate packs — inclined-plate modules that dramatically raise the effective settling area of a clarifier or thickener — and delivered them as ready-to-install units, export-crated with a complete quality dossier.
How lamella plates work — more settling area in less space
A lamella (inclined-plate) settler stacks many closely spaced, inclined plates inside a clarifier or thickener. Suspended solids only have to settle a short distance onto the nearest plate before sliding down to the sludge zone, while clarified liquid rises between the plates. The effect is powerful: the effective settling area can be several times the equipment’s footprint, so a compact tank does the work of a much larger conventional clarifier.
That makes lamella packs one of the most cost-effective ways to debottleneck an existing clarifier or thickener, add capacity in a tight plant layout, or design a new high-rate settler from scratch.
Why FRP is the right material
Lamella packs live in wet, often aggressive service, so material choice is everything. Fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) is the natural fit:
- Corrosion resistance in acidic, chloride-bearing and process-water service where coated or bare steel would corrode
- Smooth gel-coated surface that helps sludge slide off cleanly and resists scaling and fouling
- Light weight that eases handling, rigging and installation and reduces structural load on the tank
- Long, maintenance-friendly service life with no coating to fail
Technical specifications
- Equipment: FRP lamella (inclined-plate) packs
- Construction: fiberglass-reinforced plastic (chopped-strand mat + resin), gel-coated surface
- Configuration: modular inclined-plate packs in structural support frames
- Plate angle & spacing: engineered to the separation duty
- Applications: clarifiers, thickeners, lamella settlers, CCD & water circuits
- Quality system: ISO 9001
- QC dossier: material certificates, certificate of conformance, visual, Barcol hardness, acetone (cure) test, dimensional and coating inspection
- Delivery: modular packs, export-crated
Configuration, plate geometry and pack size are tailored to each application.
Engineered and built as drop-in modules
The plates are assembled into rigid, self-supporting modules within structural frames, so each pack can be lifted and lowered into the tank as a single unit. That modular approach minimizes on-site labor and downtime, and the frames and lifting points are engineered for safe rigging and handling.
Manufacturing and quality assurance
Every pack moved through a documented quality program under an ISO 9001 system, with a per-pack data report covering raw-material certificates and a certificate of conformance, visual inspection, Barcol hardness, an acetone cure test, and dimensional and coating inspection. Packs are then export-crated for safe transport. This mirrors the disciplined approach behind all of Crimar’s quality and inspection work.
Industries and applications
FRP lamella plate packs are specified wherever solids must be separated from liquid efficiently and in corrosive service: water and wastewater treatment, mining and mineral processing (thickeners, counter-current decantation and clarification), and chemical processing. They complement Crimar’s solid-liquid separation equipment and FRP tanks and vessels.
More capacity without upsizing the tank
For operators facing rising throughput or tightening discharge limits, lamella packs are often the fastest, lowest-disruption route to more settling capacity — no new tank, no new footprint, just more effective area dropped into equipment you already have. In corrosion-prone service, doing it in FRP is what makes that upgrade last.
Frequently asked questions
What are FRP lamella plates?
They are inclined fiberglass plates, stacked in closely spaced packs, that greatly increase the settling area inside a clarifier or thickener. Solids settle onto the plates and slide down while clarified liquid rises, so a compact tank achieves the separation of a much larger one.
Why choose FRP lamella plates over steel?
FRP resists the acids, chlorides and process waters that corrode steel, its gel-coated surface sheds sludge and resists fouling, and its light weight simplifies installation — giving long service life with little maintenance.
Can lamella packs be retrofitted into an existing clarifier?
Yes. Because the packs are modular and lightweight, they are frequently installed into existing clarifiers and thickeners to boost capacity, sized and configured to the specific tank and duty.
Need more settling capacity?
Send us your flow, solids and chemistry, and our engineers will size FRP lamella plate packs to lift the capacity of your clarifier or thickener.