Hydrocyclone as Major Solids Liquid Separator Part

A hydrocyclone has two exits on the axis: the smaller on the bottom (underflow or reject) and a larger at the top (overflow or accept). The underflow is generally the denser or coarser fraction, while the overflow is the lighter or finer fraction.

Desilter Cone

Applications of hydrocyclone include:

In the potato, cassava, wheat and corn starch industry for both concentration and washing of the crude starch milk. Hydrocyclones replace separators as a more price efficient separation technique.

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 French fries and potato chips plants for in-line starch recovery from cutting water and 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.

In oilfield drilling mud system, hydrocyclones are major components in mud desander, desilter and drilling mud cleaner and assist most of their works. A hydrocyclone has a upper casing, a lower casing, a underflow mouth as well as auxiliary parts. The upper casing is an inlet chamber in cylindric with an inlet pipe on one side and a vortex tube in top middle as the overflow. The lower casing is a cone whose angle ranges from 15°~20° at the tip. The underflow mouth is located at the bottom as the discharge port for solids.