Improvement of hydrocyclone separation performance by incorporating a conical filtering wall

In this work, the performances of conventional hydrocyclones have been compared with a new configuration, known as filtering hydrocyclone. This non-conventional solid-liquid separator consists of a hydrocyclone whose conical section is replaced by a conical filtering wall. Thus, during the operation of these devices, besides the underflow and overflow streams, there is another stream of liquid, resulting from the filtrate produced in the porous cone. The experimental and CFD results, obtained in 25 different configurations of both conventional and filtering hydrocyclones, show that the performance of hydrocyclones is significantly influenced by the replacement of the conical section of the conventional device by a conical filtering wall. The separation performance and the capacity can be enhanced with the filtering hydrocyclones, as compared with similar conventional. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.