Containerised DAF plant, 5 to 60 m³/h
The entire treatment train inside an ISO container: screening, balancing, dosing, flotation and controls. Ships as normal freight, lands on any hardstanding, and runs from a generator.
A containerised DAF plant houses a complete dissolved air flotation system inside a 20 ft or 40 ft ISO shipping container, covering 5 to 60 m³/h. Because the container is the structure, the site needs only compacted hardstanding, a power connection and pipework — no slab design, no crane other than for offload, and no civil contractor. It is the correct choice for mining and exploration camps, remote agro-processing, construction sites, disaster and refugee installations, rental duty, and any site where the treatment plant may need to move.
Configuration by container size
| 20 ft standard | 40 ft standard | 40 ft high cube | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flow range | 5 – 20 m³/h | 20 – 45 m³/h | 30 – 60 m³/h |
| Internal dimensions | 5.9 × 2.35 × 2.39 m | 12.0 × 2.35 × 2.39 m | 12.0 × 2.35 × 2.69 m |
| Flotation area | 0.7 – 2.8 m² | 2.8 – 6.5 m² | 4.0 – 8.0 m² |
| Balance tank | External, site supplied | Partial, 8 – 12 m³ internal | Partial, 12 – 18 m³ internal |
| Chemical storage | 2 × 500 L IBC bunded | 4 × 1,000 L IBC bunded | 4 × 1,000 L IBC bunded |
| Installed power | 6 – 11 kW | 11 – 18 kW | 15 – 25 kW |
| Shipping weight | 6 – 9 t | 11 – 16 t | 14 – 20 t |
Where containerised makes sense
- Mining and exploration camps. Grey water and washdown treatment where the camp has a defined life and the plant will be recovered and redeployed.
- Remote agro-processing. Seasonal fruit, coffee wet-mill, cassava and palm processing where the plant runs three to six months a year and can be relocated between sites.
- Bridging a compliance deadline. A factory facing enforcement action can have a container on site in weeks rather than the nine to eighteen months a permanent plant needs.
- Piloting before commitment. Running a real unit on the real stream for three months de-risks a seven-figure permanent installation, and the pilot data settles arguments about dose and removal that jar tests alone cannot.
- Sites with no civil capability. Where importing a competent civil contractor costs more than the treatment plant.
Design considerations specific to containers
- Heat. A closed steel container in West or East African sun reaches 55–65 °C internally. Insulation, forced ventilation and, for the control panel, active cooling are not optional. Dosing pumps and PLCs fail quickly above 50 °C.
- Chemical containment. Bunded IBC positions with a sealed sump and a spill route that does not discharge to the container floor seams.
- Access for maintenance. Nozzle cleaning, skimmer chain adjustment and saturator inspection must all be possible from inside a 2.35 m wide space. Poorly laid out containers become unmaintainable within a year.
- Transport securing. Everything must survive road transport over poor surfaces. Tanks half-full of residual liquid during relocation are a common cause of frame damage — specify drain points that actually empty.
- Generator compatibility. Compressor and recycle pump starting current governs the generator size. Soft starters or VSDs on both allow a substantially smaller and cheaper generator.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can a containerised DAF be operational?
On site: one to three days from offload to first treated water, assuming hardstanding, power and pipework are ready. From order: 8–14 weeks manufacture plus 3–7 weeks sea freight to an African port and inland transport. Against a permanent installation, the saving is mostly in the civil and design programme rather than in the manufacturing time.
Can a containerised DAF run on a generator?
Yes, and most do. Installed power is 6–25 kW depending on size. Specify soft starters or variable-speed drives on the compressor and recycle pump; without them, starting current can require a generator two to three times larger than the running load, which is a significant and avoidable cost.
Does a containerised unit include the balance tank?
Partially, in 40 ft units — typically 8–18 m³, which is 20–60 minutes of retention rather than the 6–12 hours an industrial stream wants. For anything other than a very steady feed, an external balance tank is still required. A collapsible or bolted panel tank alongside the container is the usual solution and can be shipped in the same consignment.
Is a containerised DAF more expensive than a skid unit?
Per m³/h of capacity, yes — typically 20–40 % more, because the container, insulation, ventilation, internal pipework and compact layout all add cost. The comparison is misleading, though: the container price includes the building, the bunding, the weather protection and the site works you would otherwise pay for separately. On a greenfield remote site it is usually the cheaper installed answer.