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US-12623235-B2 - Hydrocyclone separator

US12623235B2US 12623235 B2US12623235 B2US 12623235B2US-12623235-B2

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a hydrocyclone separator for size classifying solid material in liquid suspension, comprising a head part, a tapered separation part, and an apex discharge part for underflow discharge, the tapered separation part being arranged between the head part and the apex discharge part, wherein the apex discharge part has a first opening aligned and attached with the tapered separation part, and has a second opening for underflow discharge in a surface opposite to the first opening, the first opening being larger than the second opening, and an inner surface of the apex discharge part has a curvature extending from the first opening to the second opening, and wherein the apex discharge part at the second opening ends in a curvature in a tangential angle, β, within the range of 0°<β<40° from a reference plane defined transverse to a common symmetry axis of the tapered separation part and the apex discharge part.

Inventors

  • Joshua Sorrell
  • Evert Lessing

Assignees

  • METSO SWEDEN AB

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20221021

Claims (12)

  1. 1 . A hydrocyclone separator for size classifying solid material in liquid suspension, comprising: a head part having an inlet conduit configured to lead a suspension including the solid material into the head part, and having an overflow discharge tube arranged axially in the head part, a tapered separation part, and an apex discharge part for underflow discharge, the tapered separation part being arranged between the head part and the apex discharge part with a wide opening end face aligned and arranged to the head part and a narrower opening end face aligned and arranged to the apex discharge part, wherein the apex discharge part has a first opening aligned and attached with the narrower opening end face of the tapered separation part, and has a second opening for underflow discharge in a surface opposite to the first opening, the first opening being larger than the second opening, and an inner surface of the apex discharge part has a curvature extending from the first opening to the second opening, wherein the tapered separation part and the apex discharge part has a common symmetry axis, and wherein the apex discharge part at the second opening ends in a curvature in a tangential angle, β, within the range of 0°<β<40° from a reference plane defined transverse to the common symmetry axis, wherein the inner surface of the apex discharge part has a curvature shaped such that a ratio between an inside radius R(x) of the inner surface of the apex discharge part as defined from a common symmetry axis A of the apex discharge part and a distance x max starting at the first opening and extending towards the second opening, R(x)/x max , falls within the following ranges for varying relative distance x/x max from the first opening to the second opening along the common symmetry axis: x/x max R(x)/x max 0.000000 0.625000 +/− 0.02 0.050000 0.620419 +/− 0.02 0.100000 0.615341 +/− 0.02 0.150000 0.609660 +/− 0.02 0.200000 0.603270 +/− 0.02 0.250000 0.596067 +/− 0.02 0.300000 0.587972 +/− 0.02 0.350000 0.579073 +/− 0.02 0.400000 0.569334 +/− 0.02 0.450000 0.558396 +/− 0.02 0.500000 0.546047 +/− 0.02 0.550000 0.532202 +/− 0.02 0.600000 0.516762 +/− 0.02 0.650000 0.499447 +/− 0.02 0.700000 0.479712 +/− 0.02 0.750000 0.456803 +/− 0.02 0.800000 0.429828 +/− 0.02 0.810000 0.423859 +/− 0.02 0.820000 0.417667 +/− 0.02 0.830000 0.411224 +/− 0.02 0.840000 0.404498 +/− 0.02 0.850000 0.397460 +/− 0.02 0.860000 0.390081 +/− 0.02 0.870000 0.382330 +/− 0.02 0.880000 0.374163 +/− 0.02 0.890000 0.365522 +/− 0.02 0.900000 0.356343 +/− 0.02 0.910000 0.346533 +/− 0.02 0.920000 0.335982 +/− 0.02 0.930000 0.324567 +/− 0.02 0.940000 0.312151 +/− 0.02 0.950000 0.298507 +/− 0.02 0.960000 0.283146 +/− 0.02 0.970000 0.265319 +/− 0.02 0.980000 0.243758 +/− 0.02 0.990000 0.216214 +/− 0.02 1.000000 0.162500 +/− 0.02 .
  2. 2 . The hydrocyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein the apex discharge part at the second opening ends in a curvature in the tangential angle, β, within the range of 0°<β<30° from the reference plane, 1°<β<30° from the reference plane, 2°<β<26° from the reference plane, 3°<β<20° from the reference plane, or 4°<β<20° from the reference plane.
  3. 3 . The hydrocyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein the tapered separation part has a tangential angle, α, within the range of 0°<α<20°, 0°<α<15°, 0°<α<12°, 0°<α<10°, 2.5°<α<10°, 2.5°<α<7.5°, or 3.5°<α<6.5° with respect to the common symmetry axis.
  4. 4 . The hydrocyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein the tapered separation part comprises a frusto-conical separation part having one cone angle α, within the range of 0°<α<20°, 0°<α<15°, 0°<α<12°, 0°<α<10°, 2.5°<α<10°, 2.5°<α<7.5°, or 3.5°<α<6.5° with respect to the common symmetry axis.
  5. 5 . The hydrocyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein a distance (F−h) between the wide opening end face and the narrower opening end face of the tapered separation part, in relation with a distance (A−h1) between the first opening and the second opening of the apex discharge part, (F−h):(A−h1), is larger than 2.4, within the range of 2.4 to 4.5, or within the range of 3 to 4.
  6. 6 . The hydrocyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein a distance (F−h) between the wide opening end face and the narrower opening end face of the tapered separation part, in relation with a diameter (F−d1) of the wide opening end face of the tapered separation part, (F−h):(F−d1), is within the range of 1.5 to 5.
  7. 7 . The hydrocyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein a distance (A−h1) between the first opening and the second opening of the apex discharge part, in relation with a diameter (A−d1) of the first opening for the apex discharge part, (A−h1):(A−d1), is within the range of 0.5 to 1, or within the range of 0.7 to 0.9.
  8. 8 . The hydrocyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein a diameter (A−d1) of the first opening of the apex discharge part in relation with a diameter (A−d2) of the second opening for the apex discharge part, (A−d1):(A−d2), is within the range of 2 to 5, or within the range of 2 to 4, or within the range of 2.5 to 3.5.
  9. 9 . The hydrocyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein the apex discharge part at the first opening starts in a curvature in a tangential angle, β, within the range of 70°<β<90° with respect to the reference plane.
  10. 10 . The hydrocyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein the apex discharge part at the first opening starts in a curvature in a tangential angle, β, being equal to, or substantially equal to 90°−α, where α is a cone angle of the tapered separation part, as defined with respect to the common symmetry axis.
  11. 11 . The hydrocyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein the curvature of the inner surface of the apex discharge part is gradually increasing along the common symmetry axis from the first opening to the second opening.
  12. 12 . The hydrocyclone separator according to claim 1 , wherein the distance x max falls within the range of 30 to 1000 mm, 200 to 500 mm, or 300 to 450 mm, or 350 to 430 mm, or being about 400 mm.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure relates to hydrocyclone separators for classifying solid material in liquid suspension in grain size. More closely the present disclosure relates to hydrocyclone separator comprising a head part having an inlet conduit configured to lead a suspension into the head part, and having an overflow discharge tube arranged axially, a tapered separation part, and an apex discharge part for underflow discharge. The tapered separation part is arranged between the head part and the apex discharge part. BACKGROUND Hydrocyclone separators are known to be cost effective, large capacity and efficient classification device for particle size separation of solids suspended in a liquid. In general, a hydrocyclone is an enclosed vortical machine usually comprising a short cylindrical section followed by a conical section. Feed of a suspension of solids is supplied under predetermined pressure tangentially or in a volute path into the head part so as to create therein a swirling stream of fluid, which stream follows a path of gradually decreasing radius toward the point of the narrowest radius of the cone, commonly known as the apex or spigot. As the spiral path approaches the apex of the hydrocyclone, a portion of it turns and begins to flow towards the opposite end, i.e. towards the cylindrical section. Also, this flow is in a spiral path of radius smaller than the radius of the first spiral while rotating in the same direction. Thus, a vortex is generated within the hydrocyclone. The pressure will be lower along the central axis of the vortex and increase radially outwardly. The idea is that the hydrocyclone will separate the particles of the slurry according to shape, size and specific gravity with faster settling particles moving towards the outer wall of the hydrocyclone eventually leaving the hydrocyclone through the apex discharge part. Slower settling particles will move towards the central axis and travel upwardly, eventually leaving the hydrocyclone through the overflow discharge tube. The discharge tube is normally extending down into the cylindrical section such that short-circuiting of the feed is prevented. The efficiency of this operation, that is the sharpness of the separation of the course from the finer particles, depends on the size of the apex opening, the feed speed, and the density of the material to be separated and classified. Somewhat simplified, it can be stated that the apex geometry drives the pressure and the flow. It also determines the underflow density. The length of the conical section from the cylindrical part to the apex opening are also known to have an impact on the operation of the separation and/or classification. However, the hydrocyclones of today have been shown to have higher efficiency with particle cut sizes (d50) within the range of 5-100 μm, while the efficiency at coarser particle cut sizes is lower. Prior art has suggested using wider cyclones and/or flat bottomed hydrocyclones for separation of particles cut sizes (d50) in the region of 100-1000 μm. However, although cut size (d50) increases, the separation efficiency decreases, coarse particles are reported to end up in the overflow and fines are reported to the underflow. Prior art has earlier also suggested alterations to the inlet design in the head part, such as vortex finder design, but also cone angle design of the separation part to improve sharpness of separation. Proceeding therefrom, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a hydrocyclone separator for recovering of coarse particles with cut sizes (d50) the range of 100-1000 μm with improved separation efficiency in comparison of what has been disclosed within prior art. SUMMARY According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, these and other objects are achieved, in full or at least in part, by a hydrocyclone separator for size classifying solid material in liquid suspension, comprising a head part having an inlet conduit configured to lead a suspension into the head part, and having an overflow discharge tube arranged axially in the head part; a tapered separation part; and an apex discharge part for underflow discharge. The tapered separation part is arranged between the head part and the apex discharge part with a wide opening end face aligned and arranged to the head part and a narrower opening end face aligned and arranged to the apex discharge part. According the present disclosure, the apex discharge part has a first opening aligned and attached with the narrower opening end face of the tapered separation part, and a second opening for underflow discharge in a surface opposite to the first opening, the first opening being larger than the second opening, and an inner surface of the apex discharge part has curvature extending from the first opening to the second opening. The tapered separation part and the apex discharge part has a common symmetry axis. Further, the apex discharge part at the seco