Design, construction and testing of a cyclone separator

Abstract

All particle collection systems depend upon subjecting the suspended particles to some force which will drive them mechanically to a collecting surface. The known mechanisms by which such deposition can occur as gravitational, inertial, physical or barrier, electrostatic, molecular or diffusional, and thermal or radiant. There are also mechanisms which can modify the properties of the particles or the. gas to increase the effectiveness of the deposition mechanism, such as condensing water vapour upon particles to increase their effective size. Inertial collectors, whether they be cyclones, baffles, or rotating impellers, operate on the principle that the aerosol material in the carrying stream has a greater inertia than the gas and therefore they are most efficient for larger and heavier particles. The most common inertial collector is the ''Cyclone separator'' which is widely used for the separation and recovery of industrial dusts from air or process gases. It is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, compact, contains no moving parts and requires very little maintenance. Cyclones also have the advantage of being able to handle high temperature gases. Cyclones can be distinguished from other separators by noting that the streamlines complete several revolutions about the axis, thus allowing dust particles an increased time in which to traverse the swirling gas to the collection point [...].