Cake Solids Concentration
The percent dry solids in dewatered sludge — the main performance number operators track.
Cake solids (%TS) is the primary output metric for any dewatering process; higher percentages mean less volume and weight to haul for disposal.
Typical ranges: belt filter press 15–22%, centrifuge 20–30%, screw press 15–20%, and drying beds can exceed 40–60% given enough time and climate.
Cake solids are measured by drying a representative grab sample in a lab oven and calculating percent solids by weight — most plants sample daily or per shift.
A sudden drop in cake solids with no equipment change usually points to a feed sludge or polymer issue rather than a mechanical one. Check feed %TS and polymer dose before troubleshooting the machine itself.
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