Process Lines from GEA Westfalia 

Separator for the Production of 

Food Grade Fish Oil

Separation. Solution. Success.

Mechanical Separation / GEA Westfalia Separator
This process line has been designed for the recovery 

of high quality fish oil.

The complete line can be installed in a special container suitable for food grade production or delivered 

pre- monted on a stainless steel frame.

All equipment is ready installed, connected, cabled 

and tested.

For the recovery of food grade fish oil following 

parameter are essential:

Fresh raw material in food grade quality

Sanitary process equipment, cleanable

Permission for the recovery of food 

Based on this pre- conditions Westfalia Separator has 

developed a process for the recovery of food grade fish 

oil for small capacities. 

All equipment coming into contact with product will 

be in stainless steel. 

A CIP system ensure a constant quality of the end 

products in food grade quality.

The process has been set up so that very gentle process conditions can be used for the processing of the 

fish oil.

Consequently the process temperature can be reduced 

down to 45 °C so that an outstanding oil quality can 

be achieved.

During the past decades fish oil has turned from the low value bulk products into a high 

value oil. Consequently the reqiurements for the fish oil quality is changing as well.

Low Temperature Fish Oil Processing Line 

2

GEA Westfalia Separator
 ACD 205 ACD 305

Capacity salmon guts 1,2 t/h 3,0 t/h

Capacity salmon waste 0,8 t/h 2,0 t/h

Power consumption approx. 20 kW approx. 30 kW

Heating (hot water) 60/40 kW 150/100 kW

Container Size 30 foot container 40 foot container

Design features

Complete installed unit

Inside a container or mounted on a skid

Food grade processing of fish oil

Cleanable process (CIP)

Low temperature process for outstanding oil quality

High grade of automatisation

Modular design for optional features 

Additional modules/ equipment

Offal reception and grinding

Fish meal dryer and packing

CIP- unit

Storage tanks

Locker room 

Oil

3-Phase Decanter

De-oiled 

fish pulp

3

GEA Westfalia Separator
Werner-Habig-Straße 1 · 59302 Oelde (Germany)

Phone +49 2522 77-0 · Fax +49 2522 77-1794 

ws.process@geagroup.com · www.westfalia-separator.com

Mechanical Separation

GEA Westfalia Separator

The information contained in this brochure merely 

serves as a non-binding description of our products 

and is without guarantee. 

Binding information, in particular relating to capacity 

data and suitability for specific applications, can only be 

provided within the framework of concrete inquiries.

Printed on chlorine-free bleached paper

Printed in Germany

Subject to modification

Beverage Technology

Dairy Technology

Renewable Resources

Chemical/Pharmaceutical Technology

Marine

Energy

Oilfield

Fluids&Water

Engineering

Second Hand Machinery

Cross-Flow Filtration 

with Ceramic Elements

Original Manufacturer Service
The processing of very small capacities 

requires an adaption of the traditional whole 

fish process. GEA Westfalia Separator has 

modified the process accordingly to 

ensure an economic production. Historically, this process has been developed 

especially for raw materials which are 

difficult to process in expeller presses. For 

small capacities the raw material is at first 

carefully minced. The subsequent cooker 

coagulates the protein whilst the fatcontaining cells are gently disintegrated 

so that the oil is released. The cooked raw 

material is then directly fed to the decanter. For small capacities the cooked raw 

material is fed to a 3-phase decanter which 

separates the suspension cleanly into solids, 

water and oil. The separated solids are directly 

conveyed to the dryer. The stick-water 

from the decanter is evaporated before it 

is dried and processed into fish meal. As 

the oil phase may still contain small residues of free water and solids, a polishing 

separator is recommended downstream to 

remove even those tiny impurities. The 

result is purest fish oil. For bigger capacities 

the cooked raw material is fed to a 2-phase 

decanter. The recovered press water is 

then de-oiled by a 3-phase self-cleaning 

separator before it is evaporated and dried.

Raw material

Mincer 

Cooker

Solids 3-phase 

decanter

Oil polishing

separator

Evaporator

Dryer

Fish oil Fish meal

Liquids to Value

Fish Meal and Fish Oil Recovery –

The Whole Fish Process for Small Capacities

GEA Mechanical Equipment / GEA Westfalia Separator
 2-phase decanters for clarification

3-phase decanters for separation

Separators for oil polishing

Complete decanter range

from 0.5 – 30 m3/ h

Customized solutions

Robust design, particularly designed 

for hot operation processes

Sophisticated wear protection

for long operation lives

Special bowl concepts for maximum 

throughput and clarifying efficiency

Westfalia Separator® varipond® for 

always optimal separation results 

even with different feed conditions

Made in Germany – Quality

assurance system, CE conformity, 

DIN EN ISO 9000:2000 and 14001

Complete decanter range

from 0.2 – 15 m3/ h

Customized solutions

Robust design, particularly designed 

for hot operation processes

Sophisticated wear protection

for long operation lives

Special bowl concepts for maximum 

throughput and clarifying efficiency

Westfalia Separator® varipond® for 

always optimal separation results 

even with different feed conditions

Made in Germany – Quality

assurance system, CE conformity, 

DIN EN ISO 9000:2000 and 14001

Complete polisher range

from 0.5 – 30 m3/h

Customized solutions

Optimized disc stack for

top fish oil quality

Minimum number of parts and

seals for minimum wear

Very service-friendly flat belt drives

Assembly-friendly design

for fast service

Low vibration machine

installation for an easy

integration into the process

Made in Germany – Quality

assurance system, CE conformity, 

DIN EN ISO 9000:2000 and 14001 

Werner-Habig-Straße 1 · 59302 Oelde (Germany)

Phone +49 2522 77-0 · Fax +49 2522 77-1794

www.westfalia-separator.com

GEA Mechanical Equipment

GEA Westfalia Separator

The information contained in this brochure merely serves as a non-binding description of our products and is without guarantee. Binding information, in particular relating to capacity data and suitability for specific applications, can only be provided within the framework of concrete inquiries. Westfalia®, Westfalia Separator® and varipond® are registered trademarks of GEA Westfalia Separator GmbH. Printed on chlorine-free bleached paper · Printed in Germany · Subject to modification · www.kabutz.de 9997-1737-000/0810 EN
Small Capacity Plants

from GEA Westfalia Separator

for the Fish Industry

Mechanical Separation / GEA Westfalia Separator

Separation. Solution. Success.
GEA Westfalia Separator

2

The rivers, lakes and oceans of the world are the source

of one of the most important foodstuffs. Fish is a

valuable supplier of protein and other essential 

nutrients. However, today’s industrial fish processing

industry is facing new challenges. The conventional

processes for the recovery of fish meal and fish oil were

designed for processing large fish quantities of up 

to 200 t/h. However, in times when resources are 

in increasingly short supply, processes must be 

found which can also efficiently process small 

quantities of fish. 

Consequently, GEA Westfalia Separator has developed

new processes for the fish industry which are worthwhile investing in particularly when processing small

quantities. The new processes, which are based on the

traditional three-phase process, have been simplified

so that now 2 – 4 t/h can be processed without 

difficulty while additionally increasing the added value

of the complete process. 

GEA Westfalia Separator can draw on the experience 

gained over a period of over 110 years making it a market leader in centrifugal separation technology. 

The spectrum covers application-oriented, innovative 

solutions in machine technology and process 

engineering for a wide range of applications in 

the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, dairy 

and beverage technology, the starch industry, 

environmental technology, mineral oil technology 

and oils and fats recovery. The first separator for the 

recovery of fish oil was commissioned back in 1929.

Since then, GEA Westfalia Separator has developed, 

manufactured and delivered more than a thousand

centrifuges for the fish oil industry while at the same

time successfully and innovatively optimising the 

processes.

High Profit with Small Capacities

Fish specialities
GEA Westfalia Separator

3

Low expenditure, high benefit

The offal obtained during the filleting of, for example,

salmon still contains valuable oil and utilizable solids.

For this reason, GEA Westfalia Separator has designed

the new small installation for the recovery of fish oil

from offal. The fish offal is first gently crushed to disintegrate the fat-containing cells and very carefully coagulated in the heating tank. This is important to maximize the oil yield and to obtain optimum quality of the

end product. The coagulated raw material is subsequently separated into solids, oil and an aqueous phase

in a 3-phase decanter. This process can do without

presses to separate the solids. Therefore, no expenses are

incurred for purchasing and operating those presses. 

The oil phase from the decanter contains small 

quantities of free water and solids and can be polished

in a separator. The solids from the separator can either

be processed to fish meal in suitable driers or can be

utilized untreated as raw material for ensilage plants.

The aqueous phase or stick water from the decanter is

concentrated in evaporators due to the substantial 

proportion of dissolved solids and processed to fish

meal together with the solids. The compactness and

low number of process stages make this process ideal

for processing small quantities.

Raw material

Metal detector

Processing fish offal

Mincer

Steam

Condensate

Turbid oil

Heating tank

Steam

Solids

Stickwater

Clean oil

Clean oil

Oil polishing

Sludge
Recovering high-grade proteins

Highly soluble and low-fat protein hydrolyzates can be

recovered with this enzymatic process. This turns them

into an extremely high-grade additive for the food

industry and also an attractive fodder in aquaculture,

particularly for breeding young fish.

Virtually all fish raw materials can be processed to

hydrolyzates. However, the most suitable are offal from

salmon, trout or remains from canned fish or Surimi

production. 

The enzymatic treatment of the crushed material takes

place in a reactor in which temperature and dwell time

can be precisely set. The extremely precise process 

control is necessary to recover “tailor-made” hydrolyzate.

Properties and taste can be individually determined via

this control. 

After screening off the bones, the liquid phase is 

sent to the 3-phase decanter. Here, the suspension is

separated into oil, solids and protein-containing water.

The big advantage of the 3-phase technology is the

separation of the insoluble solids and oil in one step. 

Only by this means is the highly soluble, low-fat protein

retained in the aqueous phase. A high-performance

separator then separates the protein from the 

remaining small quantities of solids and oil. Following

evaporation of the water, the concentrated protein is

flash pasteurised and spray dried.

Enzyme reaction tank

Hot water

Preheating Enzyme

deactivation

Preheating Steam

Bones to 

further processing

Bone separation

Condensate

Steam

Enzyme

Water

Steam Oil phase

Condensate

Protein

polishing

Oil polishing

Solids

Clean oil

Cream/oil

Protein phase

Recovery of protein hydrolyzates
GEA Westfalia Separator

5

Adding value

When producing canned goods in the fish industry,

waste water streams are obtained which are heavily

loaded with oils and solids. These primarily consist of

residues of sauces and vegetable oils which are canned

with the fish. As a rule, such heavily contaminated

waste water is not directly discharged but rid of the

solids in flotation plants. The resultant flotation 

sludges must be disposed of, whereby the disposal

costs involved are fairly high. To minimize the disposal costs and simultaneously exploit the valuable 

substances in the waste water, GEA Westfalia 

Separator offers a newly developed process which 

converts waste into valuable substances and saves

costs. 

The flotation sludge is collected in an agitator tank and

then pre-heated with the aid of a suitable heat exchanger.

The hot water phase from the decanter is used for this

purpose. With this solution, no cost-intensive external

heat generation is required. The oil is released through

subsequent coagulation of the proteins in special tanks

supplied with live steam.

Canning wash water processing

Heating tank Washing water

from canning plant

Live steam injection

Solids

Clean oil

Sludge

Oil polishing

Preheating

Buffer tank

Flotation tank

Skimmings

The 3-phase decanter from GEA Westfalia Separator

then ensures in one step efficient separation of the 

solids, oil and the aqueous phase. The latter is 

subsequently cooled with heat exchangers and fed

back into the flotation sludge. The recovered turbid oil,

by contrast, is polished with self-cleaning separators

and rid of residual impurities such as water and solids.

The products recovered in this way can be sold as fodder.

The overall effect is a drastic reduction in disposal costs.
GEA Westfalia Separator

6

Minimum oil losses

High g-force for better solids recovery

High lambda for better separation

Long retention time

Low maintenance costs

Heavy duty design

Bowl in durable duplex stainless steel

Hinged hood for easy and fast inspections

Low differential speed for less wear and tear

Super resistant and long lasting hard facing of

scroll flights

Soft stream elongated distributor with simple

wear plates

Smooth operation

Low operation costs

Energy saving flow system

Continuous and automatic operation

Electronic scroll overload control system

CD 205 

Motor rating: 7.5 kW 

CD 305

Motor rating: 15 kW

CC 450/458

Motor rating: 30 kW

CA 501

Motor rating: 35 kW

Decanters and Separators for 

Efficiently Processing Small Capacities

in the Fish Industry

Decanters at a glance
GEA Westfalia Separator

7

Higher effective capacity

Continuous feed even during cleaning cycle

High g-force

No downtime

Minimum oil losses

Patented Westfalia Separator® hydrostop system

for high concentrated solids discharge 

Low maintenance cost

Simple bowl design for lower cleaning frequency

Newly designed clutch with stronger clutch

shoes for longer lifetime

No supervision required

Equipped with a PLC system for optimal control

of cleaning cycle

Separators at a glance

OSD 10

Motor rating: 5.5 kW

OSD 30

Motor rating: 11 kW

OSD 50

Motor rating: 22 kW
Werner-Habig-Straße 1 · 59302 Oelde (Germany) 

Phone +49 2522 77-0 · Fax +49 2522 77-2828 

ws.process@geagroup.com · www.westfalia-separator.com

Mechanical Separation 

GEA Westfalia Separator

Beverage Technology

Dairy Technology

Renewable Resources

Chemical / Pharmaceutical Technology

Marine

Energy

Oilfield

Fluids & Water

Engineering

Second Hand Machinery

Cross-Flow Filtration 

 with Ceramic Elements

Original Manufacturer Service

The information contained in this brochure merely 

serves as a non-binding description of our products 

and is without guarantee. 

Binding information, in particular relating to capacity 

data and suitability for specific applications, can only be 

provided within the framework of concrete inquiries.

Westfalia® and Westfalia Separator® are registered 

trademarks of GEA Westfalia Separator GmbH.

Printed on chlorine-free bleached paper 

9997-1087-000/0909 EN 

Printed in Germany 

Subject to modification