The Performance of the Hydrocyclone as a Thickener

Abstract

On the hypothesis that the thickening characteristics of the hydrocyclone will depend upon the dimensions of the unit and operating conditions, performance tests were carried out using an experiment unit. This paper gives the results of the work, including some suggestions with respect to the thickening ratio δ_u/δ_f, i.e. the underflow density δ_u divided by the feed density δ_f. The influences of the following factors upon the thickening ratio δ_u/δ_f were investigated : (1) Diameters of vortex finder D_o, underflow nozzle D_u and cylindrical portion D, (2) Feed inlet velocity v_i, (3) Dimension of inlet nozzle √(bh), (4) Height of cyclone H, (5) Inserted length of vortex finder S, (6) Types of feeding pipe, (7) Pulp density δ_f and particle size of feed slurries d. In addition to the above, the author has shown the following two experimental formulas : (1) Flow ratio G_u/G_o, i.e. the underflow quantity G_u divided by the overflow quantity G₀ may be expressed as Eq. (4.5), (2) Thickening ratio δ_u/δ_f may be expressed as Eq. (5.8).