Use Of Hydrocyclones Research Articles

Application of hydrocyclone in chemical precipitation

ABSTRACT This study demonstrates the use of hydrocyclone as a thickener to precipitate sulfate ions from wastewater. Simulated wastewater containing different concentrations of sodium sulfate (100–400 mg L−1) dissolved in distilled water was prepared. Lime was added as the precipitating agent. Different flow rates of the feed (3–11 L min−1) were used for two split ratios (0.1, 0.9). The results showed that increasing inlet flow rate, initial concentration, and split ratio enhanced the separation by concentrating sulfate ions in the underflow. Design Of Experiments was performed to determine the most effective factor on the response (underflow concentration) and to assign the optimum operating conditions. The effect was in the order: inlet flow rate, initial concentration, and split ratio. The quadratics of the factors also affected the separation in the order (inlet flow rate)2, (inlet flow rate) × (split ratio), (inlet flow rate) × (initial concentration). The optimum (maximum) value of the underflow concentration of sulfate ions was 856.538 mg L−1 at the optimum operating conditions (11 L min−1 inlet flow rate, 400 mg L−1 initial concentration, and 0.9 split ratio). The experimental value at the optimum operating conditions was 932 mg L−1 including 8% error. The process was applied on a real wastewater taken from a tile factory. The results confirmed the experimental results in that the pollutant was concentrated in the underflow. It was concluded that using hydrocyclone as a thickener was feasible to separate sulfate ions from wastewater. Also, the separation using hydrocyclone could be integrated with another technique such as electrocoagulation or ion exchange to recover sulfur as an attempt toward sustainable development requisites.

Design and development of non-recirculating type erosion test setup for hydraulic turbines

Slurry erosion phenomena are inevitable and commonly occurring processes in all types of hydro turbines and components that are exposed to sediment particles. The design of these components and the choice of the materials to resist erosion require laboratory testing using various erosion testing apparatus. These test apparatuses are designed specifically to meet the particular study requirements and to simulate the actual flow conditions in turbines. However, the design of these test apparatus must be flexible and versatile to assess erosion resistance under different combinations of operating conditions. The existing test rigs mostly comprise of rotary type with re-circulation of the slurry. This study proposes a new type of test setup that describes the sediment particles injection method into the system as well as immediate rejection of those particles striking the test specimen. The components of test rig and the test methodology are described. An accelerated tests have been performed on Cross-flow turbine to verify the suitability of the rig for erosion testing in laboratory environment. The design principle of this setup is to eliminate the limitations of the existing test rigs such as slurry ageing problem, use of acceleration tube to maintain the particle velocity and constant operating parameters (discharge velocity and pressure head). The non-recirculation of the slurry is maintained by the use of hydro cyclone as the particle separation device, which is found to have an efficiency of 97%. This test facility provides flexibility in the performance testing of miniature model of different types of hydro turbines with limited adjustments.

CARRIER FLOTATION BY CHAR SLIME - WASHING OF ŞIRNAK ASPHALTITE SLIMES

Şırnak asphaltite slime below 200 micron size is processed. The clean coal products of the column flotation are received with mid-products and shale settlements in the modified column cell in the baffled form. The use of hydrocyclone, agglomerate thickener and wash decantation has been a suitable potential method after the driven and internal loop column flotation. With this method, ultrafine sized oily sludges with high efficiency and low solid rate coal washing are provided. It also enabled highly efficient wastewater treatment as a result of separating the oil with czar foam. Therefore, the method applied in this study can be designed as an optimum wastewater treatment technology for the treatment of oily wastewater in the oil and drilling industry. The aeration process in internal loop column flotation with air jet is widely used in lake water treatment and fresh water treatment. In this study, internal loop carrier column flotation, hydrocyclone overflows and agglomeration process are optimized for coal washing and environmental wastewater treatment. The ash and sulfur contents decreased to a level of 48% ash reduction and a 34% sulphur reduction

Experimental testing of the effectiveness of novel hydrocyclones for separation of impurities in biofuels

This paper investigates the potential sources of renewable energy, in particular biofuels. Biofuels tend to contain multiple harmful impurities that need to be separated if the biofuel is to have good energy performance, and the systems that run on it to produce electricity or heat are to operate more reliably. The paper discusses use of hydrocyclones as the most productive and reliable biofuel purification method. It dwells upon the factors that negatively affect separation of mixtures in a hydrocyclone, which are attributable to the complex hydrodynamics of the flow in such a unit. In order to eliminate these factors, the authors hereof have developed two hydrocyclone designs. An experimental test bench was designed and made to test these designs. Parts of the units were 3D printed from an environmentally friendly material. For testing, we used a biodiesel made from waste cooking oil with an impurity content of 23%. Experiments showed a maximum separation rate of 94.2%. The proposed solutions did improve the effectiveness of biodiesel mixture separation. These designs can be effectively used to separate non-homogeneous mixtures.

CFD analysis of cyclone separator used for fine filtration in separation industry

This research is based on industrial application of hydrocyclones for fine filtration. The purpose of this research is to design a hydrocyclone which can be used in the filtration system of cleaning machines and to analyze the performance in terms of efficiency through software for computational fluid dynamics. The hydrocyclone is designed to filter particles of 10–15 μm with minimum operating cost and without the use of consumables for filtration. In the literature studied, researchers used empirical formulae to model hydrocyclones with a two dimensional approach. The results will be more accurate through the use of CFD with three dimensional entities. The results of the simulation show that pressure increases from the center toward the wall. The maximum and minimum pressures were found to be 9.76e04 Pa and −4.62e04 Pa. The velocity inside the cyclone initially increases then decreases from the center toward the wall. The maximum and minimum values of velocity were found to be 12.5 m/s and 0.55 m/s respectively. The solution of the model shows that the hydrocyclone is capable of producing the desired vortex of the water flowing inside it. The efficiency obtained from these results is 76.19%. This study can be considered the primary stage for validating the use of hydrocyclones in industry.

Optimization study of thickener hydrocyclones

The hydrocyclone is a separation device that is widely used in the mineral industry for various applications, including classification, thickening, and desliming. The design of this device differs depending on the application. Thus, for the use of hydrocyclone in thickening operations, an appropriate geometry is required. In this work, an optimization study was performed using a differential evolution algorithm (DE) to find geometric configurations that maximize its thickening potential. A bibliographical survey of 56 geometric configurations of hydrocyclones developed between 2000 and 2018 at our laboratory (LASER/UFU) provided a database for the optimization study. Three optimal hydrocyclone configurations (HA, HB, and HC) were obtained, and they were later compared numerically and experimentally to the device that had the lowest Euler number in the LASER/UFU database (hydrocyclone E45). The new devices HA, HB, and HC showed an underflow-to-throughput ratio 35%, 30%, and 87% smaller than E45, respectively. In addition, the HA hydrocyclone showed an overall separation efficiency 4% higher than the E45. The HC hydrocyclone increased the concentration of the initially diluted current (1.0% v/v) to about 45% v/v with low energy consumption (Eu = 1279). Therefore, this device (HC) was the best thickener hydrocyclone ever developed by our research group.

The features of classification in hydrocyclones in the course of titanium magnetite ore grinding

Research aim is to assess the use of hydrocyclones in the closed circuit of the second stage of grinding for the conditions of EVRAZ KGOK dressing mill. Methodology. Industrial tests were carried out under various solid phase capacities of two hydrocyclones GTs-710. Industrial testing results and their discussion. Increase in the content of solid and –71 µm class in the feed of the hydrocyclone results in discharge output increase. Decrease in the content of solid and increase in the content of –71 µm class result in the increased content of –71 µm class in the discharge. When increasing the content of solid in the feed of the hydrocyclone, the extraction of all size classes into the discharge of the hydrocyclone increases. At the same time the efficiency of classification by –71 µm class reduces. 84 "Izvestiya vysshikh uchebnykh zavedenii. Gornyi zhurnal". No. 1. 2021 ISSN 0536-1028 Iron content values in hydrocyclone discharge and sand. The classifying hydrocyclone partially separates by density resulting in different content values of iron in discharge and sand. Under pulp high density, the content of iron in the discharge is higher than that of iron in sand. Under low density of feed pulp, there is less iron in the discharge, compared to that in sand; that is due to small particles of titanium magnetite entering the sand. Summary. The indicators of separation by size in hydrocyclone are significantly affected by the content of solid and –71 µm class in the feed. The drawback of the hydrocyclone is partial separation by density (in iron) which results in overgrinding of titanium magnetite in the closed circuit of grinding and higher losses in subsequent procedures of wet magnetic separation. The technologies which make it possible to reduce overgrinding of titanium magnetite in the closed circuit of grinding are as follows: automatic control system for classification in the hydrocyclone, the use of hydraulic screens instead of hydrocyclones, and multi-stage dressing.

Research on the experiment of the enhancement removal of fine sand by hydrocyclone in sewage treatment plant.

The content of fine sand (< 200 μm) in primary sludge is relatively high in Chongqing sewage treatment plant owing to the part of rainwater will be mixed with sand and discharged into the municipal pipe network. Due to the insufficient separation of the sand, different obstacles to subsequent treatment processes may increase equipment wear, reduce effective volume of the tank, or shorten the cleaning cycle. There is a common use of grit chamber for the separation. Nevertheless, the use of hydrocyclone shows an outstanding performance in cost effectiveness and ease operation. The primary sludge in a sewage plant in Chongqing was monitored, and the average concentration of total suspend solids (TSS), total sand content, and volatile suspended solid (VSS) were 40.25 g/L, 17.51 g/L, and 13.41 g/L, respectively. The size of sand in the sludge was small, and the sand below 30 μm accounted for about 70% of the total sand. It formed flocs with organic matter and was removed in subsequent process units. While the size between 30-200 μm, called fine sand, was the main separation object, accounted for about 28.5%. According to XRF and XRD analysis, the sludge composition was mainly composed of quartz (SiO2), plagioclase (Na(AlSi3O8)), and calcite (CaCO3), which were similar to the main mineral composition of surface sediments and mountain rocks in the main urban area of Chongqing. A single-factor experiment on two types (FX100 and FX50) of hydrocylones was conducted to determine their abilities concerning the separation of fine sand and enrichment of organic matters from primary sludge. FX100 and FX50 showed best performance in the case of P = 0.17 Mpa, underflow diameter (Du) = 18 mm and P = 0.20 Mpa, Du = 6 mm, respectively. The removal efficiency of fine sand by hydrocyclone FX50 was 71.39%. While, it had poor performance on organic matter enrichment and the removal efficiency of which was 17.38%. By contrast, the removal rate by FX100 reached 61.89% for fine sand and only 6.89% for organic matters detached. The superimposition effect did not appear in the serial experiments on hydrocylone FX100 and FX50, but the power is 3.5 times of that of single-stage hydrocylone FX100. Comprehensive consideration of the processing capacity per unit time and operating power, the hydrocylone FX100 was more suitable for actual operation.

Beneficiation of White Kaolinitic Sandstone to Produce Kaolin Concentrate from Wadi Siq-Rakyia Area in Wadi Araba, Jordan

Kaolinitic sandstone samples of Lower Cretaceous from Wadi Siq-Rakyia area in Wadi Araba/south of Jordan were studied and assessed as a source of Kaolin. Three channel samples and a composite bulk sample were studied for their mineralogical, geochemical, and grain size distribution analysis. The aim of this research work was to achieve kaolin concentration by examining the best-suited and cost-effective processing method(s) with appropriate product recovery. Following the initial sample characterisation at “bench scale”, a pilot study was performed on the bulk sandstone sample. Kaolin was accumulated in the fine size fraction (−125 μm) after agitating and wet screening of the sample. The −125 μm size fraction sample was used to produce kaolin concentrate. Hydrocyclone classification was applied in the pilot study for this purpose. The mass flowrate of the feeds and the products in the hydrocyclones was calculated for the bulk sample as well as the amount of water required operating the process. A kaolin-enriched product was produced following the use of hydrocyclones. A kaolin concentrate at a grade of 71% and a recovery of 78% was produced which could be used in the ceramic industry for tableware and sanitaryware.

Residue Characterization from Polishing Granite Submitted to the Hydrocycloning Process

The waste generated in granite processing has caused great social and environmental concern due to the release of its solid effluents into landfills and other places. The recycling and reuse of waste from different industrial processes as new raw materials has been the object of various researches. The use of hydrocyclone in the treatment of residues can represent a very efficient tool for separation and purification of the granite residue. This work aims to characterize and analyse the technological properties of the granite sawdust residues submitted to the hydrocyclone process in comparison with the same residue without going through the hydrocyclone process. The results indicate that the material resulting from this process presented different characteristics from the material without the process, mainly in terms of granulometric distribution and technological properties.

Planejamento fatorial e análise estatística do tratamento de argilas esmectitícas por hidrociclone

Abstract Bentonite clays are materials composed by one or more smectite clay minerals and some accessory minerals, mainly quartz, cristobalite, mica, feldspars and other clay minerals such as kaolinite. These contaminants present in clays have a large distribution of particle sizes which severely restrict their industrial applications, with the use of hydrocyclone as a likely solution for their reduction. This study aims to analyze the treatment of smectite clays from the state of Paraíba using modeling, simulation and optimization of the variable average particle diameter in relation to various process variables related to the hydrocyclone. In this study, the average diameter of smectite clays was evaluated as a function of the factors: pressure, apex diameter and vortex diameter of the hydrocyclone. Complete factorial design and addition in the central points were used to model the hydrocycloning process. The results evidenced reduction in equivalent average particle size of approximately 19.2%. Regarding the simulations, the optimum point with the lowest value was found for the average diameter of 4.033 µm, with a pressure of 4.3 bar, apex opening of 5.3 mm, and vortex opening of 6.3 mm, all at a 95% confidence level.

Applying CFD in the Analysis of Heavy Oil/Water Separation Process via Hydrocyclone

In recent years most of the oil reserves discovered has been related to heavy oil reservoirs whose reserves are abundant but still show operational difficulties. This fact provoked great interest of the petroleum companies in developing new technologies for increasing the heavy oil production. Produced water generation, effluent recovered from the production wells together with oil and natural gas, is among the greatest potential factors for environmental degradation. Thus, a new scenario of the oil industry appears requiring improvement in treatment units for produced water. Among the technological improvements in the facilities, the use of hydrocyclones has been applied in the treatment of the oily water. In this sense, this study aims to investigate numerically the separation process of heavy oil from a water stream via hydrocyclone, using the computational fluid dynamics technique. In the mathematical modeling was considered a two-phase, three-dimensional, stationary, isothermal and turbulent flow. Results of streamlines, pressure and volume fraction fields of the involved phases (oil and water) into the hydrocyclone, and mechanical efficiency and pumping power of the fluids are shown and analyzed. In conclusion, it seems that with increasing fluid input velocity in the device there is an increase in pressure drop, indicating a greater pumping energy consumption of the mixture, and greatly influences the separation process efficiency.

Mini-hydrocyclones applied to the removal of solids from non-Newtonian fluids and analysis of the scale-up effect

In the solids control system, the removal of fine solids from drilling fluid is performed by decanter centrifuges. The use of these centrifuges is limited not only by the costs involved but also by the available space on the oil rig, so they cannot process the entire volume of fluid circulating in the drilling system. This paper proposes the use of hydrocyclones to support decanter centrifuges, aiming to increase the removal rate of fine material from the fluid to be reinjected into the well. To this end, a highly efficient with low flow ratio hydrocyclone geometry was tested, using non-Newtonian fluids with a particulate matter size distribution similar to the conditions encountered in the field. Empirical expressions were obtained to predict the total separation efficiency, flow ratio, capacity and cut diameter of the equipment as a function of the operating conditions. The hydrocyclone scale-up results indicated that the larger device maintains practically the same separation performance as the original device, but provides an evident improvement in processing capacity.

Produced-Water-Treating Systems: Comparison of North Sea and Deepwater Gulf of Mexico

In general, water-treatment systems in the North Sea differ from those in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The two most apparent differences are the extensive use of hydrocyclones in the North Sea, and the use of large, multistage horizontal flotation units in the deepwater GOM. Deepwater-GOM platforms use hydrocyclones, but not nearly to the extent that they are used in typical North Sea platforms. Typically in the North Sea, if flotation is used at all, it is a vertical compact unit. The objective of this paper is to provide an understanding of the reasons for these differences. In this paper, field data and modeling results are presented to explain these differences. The models accurately correlate the measured drop size and oil-in-water concentration observed in the two regions. In addition, the modeling tools are used to answer hypothetical “what if” questions. This allows isolation of individual variables such as fluid temperature, shear, separator residence time, and fluid density. Thus, the modeling provides a detailed understanding of the relative importance of these variables. It also provides a direct comparison of the performance of North Sea vs. GOM process configurations. While the qualitative conclusions are well-known (i.e., deepwater separation systems are designed to minimize weight and space), the detailed understanding provided here provides insight into the design of water-treatment systems in general. It also emphasizes, in a quantitative way, the importance of carrying out effective water treatment early in the process and the necessary use of large end-of-pipe equipment when this is not possible.

Comparing North Sea and Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Produced-Water-Treating Systems

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 159713, ’Produced-Water-Treating Systems: Comparison Between North Sea and Deepwater Gulf of Mexico’ by J.M. Walsh, SPE, Shell, and W.J. Georgie, SPE, Maxoil Solutions, prepared for the 2012 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 8-10 October. The paper has not been peer reviewed. In terms of platform technologies and extraction strategies, there are fundamental differences between the North Sea and the deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GOM). We consider these systems in light of best practices in water-treating-system design and consider the reasons for deviation from those practices. This process provides insight into the design of water-treating systems in general, emphasizing the importance of carrying out effective water treatment early in the process and the necessity of using large end-of-pipe equipment when this is not possible. Introduction Generally speaking, there is a perception that water-treating systems in the North Sea are different from those in the deepwater GOM. Specifically, North Sea systems involve greater use of hydrocyclones, with either no flotation or compact vertical flotation. Deepwater GOM systems are associated with the use of hydrocyclones (but to a lesser degree than in the North Sea) and the use of large horizontal multistage flotation. While these differences are often noted, even greater differences are observed by considering the oil/water/gas-separation system as a whole. The oil/water-separation system includes dehydration of oil and deoiling of water. From the standpoint of the overall integrated oil/water-separation system, the water-treating system is only a part. If a water-treating system is considered an add-on to the overall separation-system (oil/water/gas) design, rather than an integral part, then it will invariably be tasked with a much more difficult challenge (smaller droplets, more-stable emulsions). In that case, it will require large multistage flotation and perhaps tertiary end-of-pipe equipment such as media treatment or filtration. As shown in Fig. 1, a typical North Sea oil/water-treating system consists of inlet heating where necessary (not shown), followed by first-stage three-phase separation. The produced water is separated from the first-stage separation with enough pressure and is treated through hydrocyclone units. As shown in Fig. 2, typical deep-water GOM oil/water systems consist of one- or two-stage two-phase separation, followed by three-phase separation. Inlet heating is often not used. The produced water is separated toward the end of the process at lower operating pressure. The produced water is processed through hydrocyclones through a common collecting vessel operated at a lower pressure and, in many cases, a lower temperature.

A Numerical Study of Flow Field in a Hydrocyclone for Potash Ore Desliming

Despite the widespread use of hydrocyclone in the process of potash ore desliming, its accurate design is often difficult because the feed composition is complicated and the viscosity is high in the brine system. In this study, a numerical approach based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was performed to describe the flow field. The numerical simulation of flow pattern in hydrocyclones for potash ore desliming was presented. Some basic information concerning the velocity and pressure distribution is given, and the results can be used as the fundamental basis for its design.

Experimental Study of the Influence of Vortex Finder Geometry on Hydrocyclones Performance

The use of hydrocyclones for particles separation is widespread due to advantages such as low cost, simple structure, large capacity and low volume. The shape and size of a hydrocyclone has a decisive effect on the internal flow structure of the continuous phase, and therefore, the separation or classification of the dispersed phase [1]. Therefore, in order to improve the equipments performance, several geometrical changes have been studied in the literature for hydrocyclones of different families [2-13].

Study of Biological Material Separation in Hydrocyclones

Hydrocyclones use the same principle of separation of centrifuges, but with no moving parts and no mechanical complexity. For these reasons as well as its versatility in applications, low cost, simple operation, small size, high production efficiencies with short residence times, these devices have been widely found in industry, and even suggested as a practical alternative to solid-liquid separations involving biological material. In the process of fermentation to produce ethanol, the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiaeare recovered and recycled to a new stage of fermentation. This separation process is a major challenge, because the yeasts are small and low density. In this sense, the objective of this work was to investigate the use of hydrocyclones for the separation of yeast from alcoholic fermentation. A factorial experimental design (24) was applied and the results were used to determine empirical mathematical model that describes the reduced separation efficiency as a function of different geometrical and operating variables.

Optimizing the hydrocyclone for ballast water treatment using computational fluid dynamics

Environmental concern related to the transfer of Invasive Aquatic Species by ships ballast water has given rise to the development of a vast array of ballast water treatment systems. The complex environmental challenges and tight operational characteristics of marine vessels limits the scope of technologies used for Ballast Water Treatment. As a result few technologies have progressed beyond the Research and Development stage; however one of the most promising technologies for ship board use is the Cyclonic Separator, or Hydrocyclone. Despite the use of hydrocyclones in a wide variety of engineering applications they have yet to be successfully adapted towards the removal of suspended sediment and marine organisms from large volumes of ballast water. This paper details the operational characteristics of Ballast Water Hydrocyclones, employing empirical and experimental data to validate the use of a Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) turbulence model with Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations (CFD).

Use of Hydrocyclones for Mammalian Cell Retention: Separation Efficiency and Cell Viability (Part 1)

AbstractA hydrocyclone with a volume of 2.56 cm3 was studied as a potential cell retention device for mammalian cell cultures (6 L volume). For the feasible operation range (0.9 to 1.6 L/min flow corresponding to pressure drops of 0.4 to 1.3 bar) the hydrocyclone was characterized with regard to flow split (underflow‐to‐overflow ratio) and flow ratio (underflow to supply). Cultures of BHK and HeLa cells (with low cell concentrations) were applied to measure separation efficiency and cell viability for a hydrocyclone operation period of 3 min corresponding to a cell suspension throughput of 2.7 to 4.8 L. Cell separation efficiencies ranged from 0.77 to 0.97 and cell viability was not affected except for BHK cells in the overflow at the highest pressure drop (1.3 bar). As the overflow is commonly used for product harvest and cells are discarded, the application of the hydrocyclone has no detrimental effect on the reactor perfusion system. The results indicate that only cells passing from the primary vortex downwards into the inner secondary vortex and from there upwards could be damaged. Evidence for this hypothesis is obtained from operating the hydrocyclone with closed overflow (only centrifugal forces acting) for a period of 3 h. In these studies no significant effect on cell viability could be detected for HeLa and CHO cells. Hence, the results indicate that the hydrocyclone can be appropriately used for cell retention and separation in perfusion cultures. Application at higher pressures is recommended whereby separation efficiencies of 0.97 without any loss in viability can be achieved.