Cyclone is a mechanical equipment used for removal of coarser particles from dust laden gas streams. In the Industrial applications, cyclones are often used as pre cleaners or pre separators before air pollution control equipment. Cyclones are efficient for removing particulate matter than settling chambers, as cyclones work on centrifugal principal which increases the efficiency. Smaller particles that escape the cyclone are then collected by further efficient dust control equipment’s such as bag houses, electrostatic precipitators, scrubbers etc. Cyclones are relatively inexpensive to construct since they have no moving parts.
Operation:
Gases from the source point enters from the tangential inlets of cyclones. Cyclones force the incoming gas stream to twist and turn in a spiral fashion. Large particles entering with the gas stream cannot turn with the gas because of their momentum or inertia. As a result, they break out of the gas stream and hit the wall of the cyclone. The particle then falls down the wall and are collected in a hopper. The spiral pattern of gas flow is developed in a manner by which the gas is introduced. It enters alongside of the cyclone body wall and turns number of times to spiral down to the bottom. When the gas reaches the bottom of the cyclone, it reverses direction and flows up to the centre of the tube also in a spiral fashion. This spiral or vortex pattern turns in the same direction when it goes up as when it descends.
In the cylindrical section of the cyclone, particulate matter is forced to the wall, the particles move towards the wall by the action of the apparent centrifugal force. In the cone section, the body is tapered to give the gas enough rotational velocity to keep the particles against the wall. This helps prevent the return of collected particles back into the gas stream. As the particulate matter falls to the bottom, it is collected in the hopper and is continuously or periodically removed.
- High dust collection efficiency
- Low pressure Drop
- Simple and trouble-free operation
- Units available in single, Twin and Quad design construction
- Cyclones are often used as pre cleaners or pre separators before air pollution control equipment
- Sinter plants, pellet plants, Fertilizer plants, power plants are few where cyclones are widely used. Removal of high dust load particles before Bag Houses
- Boilers use wide range of cyclones for dust removal
