Spiral conveying, thorough scrubbing and good dewatering — the key machine for removing clay and excess fines from manufactured and natural sand.
XL / 2XL Series Spiral Sand Washer · 4 models
Click a model for specifications, applications, selection guidance and FAQs.
The tank of a spiral sand washer is installed at an angle and contains a spiral shaft driven by a motor through a reducer. The sand-water slurry is fed in at the lower or middle section, and the slowly rotating blades push settled sand grains up the inclined tank floor towards the discharge end.
During transport the material is repeatedly turned, and clay and fine dust coating the grains are washed off and held in suspension. Lighter muddy water leaves through the overflow weir at the top of the tank while the sand dewaters naturally as it is lifted, so moisture at the discharge end is already much lower. Adjusting water feed and weir height gives precise control over clay content and fineness modulus.
A spiral washer gives better cleanliness, better dewatering and lower water use, but needs more space and loses more fine sand. A bucket-wheel washer is compact, loses less fine sand and handles higher tonnage, but cleans slightly less well and uses more water. Choose the spiral for high-clay feed and strict cleanliness; choose the bucket wheel where space is tight or fine-sand retention matters — or run the two in series.
Fine-sand loss is inherent to spiral washers. The fix is a fines recovery unit (a cyclone plus dewatering screen) that recovers fines from the overflow and dewaters them — typically recovering over 80% of what would be lost, while easing the load on settling ponds. Payback is usually under a year.
Consumption depends on clay content and the product spec, typically 1–2 m³ per tonne of sand. With a recycling system, make-up water falls to 0.2–0.5 m³ per tonne. Pair the plant with a settling pond and filter press for zero-discharge operation — meeting environmental rules while cutting water bills.
Send us the material type, feed size, target capacity and product requirement, and we will recommend models, propose a plant configuration and quote factory-direct.