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Hydrocyclones are a type of cyclonic separators that separate product phases mainly on basis of differences in gravity with aqueous solutions as the primary feed fluid.
As opposed to dry or dust cyclones, which separate solids from gasses, hydrocyclones separate solids or different phase fluids from the bulk fluid. A hydrocyclone comprises a cylindrical shaped feed part with tangential feed; an overflow part with vortex finder; a conical part with an apex. A cyclone has no moving parts.
The main areas of application for hydrocyclones are:
*Mineral processing industry Hydrocyclones are frequently utilized in the metallurgical and mineral processing industry for the classification of fine particles and dewatering of slurries.
*In coal washery units : When 
Hydrocyclones are a type of cyclonic separators that separate product phases mainly on basis of differences in gravity with aqueous solutions as the primary feed fluid.
As opposed to dry or dust cyclones, which separate solids from gasses, hydrocyclones separate solids or different phase fluids from the bulk fluid. A hydrocyclone comprises a cylindrical shaped feed part with tangential feed; an overflow part with vortex finder; a conical part with an apex. A cyclone has no moving parts.
Working principle
Product is fed into the hydrocyclone tangentially under a certain pressure. This creates a centrifugal movement, pushing the heavier phase outward and downward alongside the wall of the conical part. The decreasing diameter in the conical part increases the speed and so enhances the separation. Finally, the concentrated solids are discharged through the apex. The vortex finder in the overflow part creates a fast rotating upward spiral movement of the fluid in the centre of the conically shaped housing. The fluid is discharged through the overflow outlet.Cyclone parameters
The following parameters are decisive for good cyclone operation: *the design *the specific weight difference between the two product phases *the shape of the solids *the speed of the feed *the density of the medium *the counter pressure at the overflow and apexAreas of application
The main areas of application for hydrocyclones are:
*Mineral processing industry Hydrocyclones are frequently utilized in the metallurgical and mineral processing industry for the classification of fine particles and dewatering of slurries.
*In coal washery units : When magnetite
Magnetite is a mineral and one of the main iron ores, with the chemical formula . It is one of the iron oxide, oxides of iron, and is ferrimagnetism, ferrimagnetic; it is attracted to a magnet and can be magnetization, magnetized to become a ...
and water are used as media in a cyclone then it is called a Dense Media Cyclone (DMC). DMCs are frequently used for washing coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal i ...
.
*Starch
Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...
industry Hydrocyclones are commonplace in the potato starch
Potato starch is starch extracted from potatoes. The cells of the root tubers of the potato plant contain leucoplasts (starch grains). To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed, and the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells. Th ...
, cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...
starch (tapioca
Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the tubers of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but which has ...
), wheat starch
Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human die ...
and corn starch
Cornflour, cornstarch, maize starch, or corn starch (American English) is the starch derived from corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the seed, kernel. Corn starch is a common food ingredient, often used to thick ...
industry for the concentration and refining of starch slurries.
*The potato processing industry Hydrocyclones are used for the separation of starch from cutting water in the French fries
French fries, or simply fries, also known as chips, and finger chips (Indian English), are '' batonnet'' or '' julienne''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin. They are prepared by cutting potatoes into even strips, drying them, and f ...
and potato crisp and potato flakes industry.
*Sand separation and classification Hydrocyclones used for sand separation and classification and as a separator of sand from water or sludge
*Oil-water separation: Separation of oil and water in, among other things, the offshore industry
*Dewatering: Concentration of slurry and dewater sludge for disposal
*Microplastic separation: Removal of microplastics
Microplastics are "synthetic solid particles or polymeric matrices, with regular or irregular shape and with size ranging from 1 μm to 5 mm, of either primary or secondary manufacturing origin, which are insoluble in water." Microplastics a ...
from wastewater {{Cite journal , last=Yuan , first=Fangyang , last2=Li , first2=Xiaoyin , last3=Yu , first3=Wei , last4=Du , first4=Jiyun , last5=Wang , first5=Dongxiang , last6=Yang , first6=Xinjun , last7=Zhou , first7=Chunhao , last8=Wang , first8=Jia , last9=Yuan , first9=Huixin , date=2022-10-01 , title=A high-efficiency mini-hydrocyclone for microplastic separation from water via air flotation , url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214714422005281 , journal=Journal of Water Process Engineering , language=en , volume=49 , pages=103084 , doi=10.1016/j.jwpe.2022.103084 , issn=2214-7144, url-access=subscription
References