Effect of inlet area on the performance of a two-stage cyclone separator

Abstract

The cyclone separator is an important separation device. This paper presents a new type of embedded two-stage cyclone, which includes a 2nd-stage cyclone (internal traditional cyclone) with multiple inlets and a 1st-stage cyclone (outer cylinder) that unifies the 2nd-stage cyclone inlets into one inlet. The Taguchi experimental method was used to study the two-stage cyclone separator's inlet area on its performance. Studies have shown that the increase of the 1st-stage cyclone inlet area and the increase in the number of 2nd-stage cyclone inlets (N) positively affect reducing the pressure drop and a negative effect on efficiency. It is recommended to use 2S (the original 1st-stage cyclone inlet area) of the 1st-stage cyclone inlet area and 2N of the 2nd-stage cyclone inlets when separating fine particles. Compared with a traditional cyclone, the pressure drop is reduced by 1303 Pa, the mass separation efficiency (Eq) is increased by 0.56%, and the number separation efficiency (En) is increased by 2.05%. When separating larger particles, it is recommended to use 2S of the 1st-stage cyclone inlet area and 4N of the 2nd-stage cyclone inlets. Compared with a traditional cyclone, although En decreases slightly, the pressure drop is reduced by 3055 Pa, and the Eq is increased by 0.56%. The research results provide new insight into the design of the cyclone.