Liquid hydrocyclone

A hydrocyclone is a static device that applies centrifugal force to a liquid mixture so as to promote the separation of heavy and light components. The hydrocyclone is a closed vessel designed to convert incoming liquid velocity into rotary motion. It does this by directing inflow tangentially near the top of a vertical cylinder. This spins the entire contents of the cylinder, creating centrifugal force in the liquid. Heavy components move outward toward the wall of the cylinder where they agglomerate and spiral down the wall to the outlet at the bottom of the vessel. Light components move toward the axis of the hydrocyclone where they move up toward the outlet at the top of the vessel. A hydrocyclone is most often used to separate heavy particulates 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 light particulates are the greater part of the mixture and where the heavy particulates 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 light particulates plus heavy particulates. In cases where heavy particulates 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.