Cyclones

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Seed note — summary view of this taxonomy levelStatic separators that use CENTRIFUGAL FORCE induced by the flow itself to separate solids from gases or solids from liquids. No moving parts. Efficiency set by geometry and tangential velocity.

Separators that leverage the centrifugal force generated by spiraling flow inside a conical-cylindrical body. No moving parts: the fluid motion itself does the work. Rugged, cheap and maintenance-simple — the workhorse of industrial particulate separation.

Usual types

  • Gas cyclones — separate dust from gas streams: particulate capture in boilers, cement, dryers.
  • Hydrocyclones — separate solids from liquids or liquid-liquid streams of different densities; common in mining, water treatment and petroleum production.

Reliability: erosion of the conical wall and apex by the processed material itself (the dominant mode — service life in operating hours, not years), lower-outlet plugging, integrity of the tangential-inlet flanges. Maintenance driven by ultrasonic thickness monitoring.

Local graph

CyclonesSeparationCentrifuges
Sources2

Technical literature

  • Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, 9th ed. — centrifugal separation
  • Hoffmann & Stein — Gas Cyclones and Swirl Tubes (2008, Springer)

Reviewed on 2026-07-09

Referenced by