Practically, the
filtration is made through a sequence of mechanical operations, each carefully controlled
and monitored via a computer. During the filling, the important point is to
make sure all chambers are evenly filled with the crystalline slurry. The squeezing
follows by applying behind each membrane a pressure by means of a gas or a liquid.
During filling and squeezing, the olein flows through flexible holes and is collected
in an intermediate tank before being sent to storage tanks. The next operation takes
care of draining the feed core and the olein channels. The filter is then opened and
the stearin cakes are orderly discharged by gravitation into a melting hopper where
the stearin is melted and further pumped to the storage tanks. The filter is regularly
washed by a flow of hot olein in order to melt away any stearin traces smeared on the
filter clothes.