Hydrocyclone - Uses

Uses

A hydrocyclone is most often used to separate "heavies" from a liquid mixture originating at a centrifugal pump or some other continuous source of pressurized liquid. A hydrocyclone is most likely to be the right choice for processes where "lights" are the greater part of the mixture and where the "heavies" settle fairly easily.

Generally, hydrocyclones are used in continuous flow systems so that the instantaneous liquid inflow to the hydrocyclone is equal to the total instantaneous outflow of "lights" plus "heavies". In cases where "heavies" are a very small part of the whole liquid, it is sometimes advantageous to accumulate them in the bottom of the hydrocyclone for batchwise removal.

Applications include:

• In pulp and paper mills to remove sand, staples, plastic particles and other contaminants.
• In the drilling industry to separate sand from the expensive clay that is used for lubrication during the drilling.
• In industry to separate oil from water or vice versa.
• In metal working to separate metal particles from cooling liquid.
• In potato processing plants to recover starch from waste water.
• In mineral processing, hydrocyclones are used extensively both to classify particles for recirculation in grinding circuits and to differentiate between the economic mineral and gangue.
• To remove sand and silt particles from irrigation water for drip irrigation purposes.