Hydrocyclones Table 2 shows thedimensions of the hydrocyclones studied in this work (Bradley’s and Rietema’s designs). The filtering hydrocyclones had cylindrical section diameter (D C) of 3.10-2 m and underflow diameters (D U) of 3.10-3, 4.10-3 and 5.10 m. Three filtering cones R1, R2, R3, were made of sinter bronze for the
Hydrocyclones also find application in the separation of liquids of different densities. A different description: A hydrocyclone is a mechanical device designed to reduce or increase the concentration of a dispersed phase, solid, liquid or gas of different density, by means of centripetal forces or centrifugal forces within a vortex.
A hydrocyclone has two exits on the axis: the smaller on the bottom (underflow or reject) and larger at the top (overflow or accept). The underflow is generally the denser or thicker fraction, while the overflow is the lighter or more fluid fraction. Centrifugal pump is used to pump the drilling fluids from mud tank into the set of hydrocyclones.
The hydrocyclone is a simple piece of equipment that uses fluid pressure to generate centrifugal force and a flow pattern which can separate particles or droplets from a liquid medium. These particles or droplets must have a sufficiently different density relative to the medium in order to achieve separation.