Cyclone separator scaling revisited

It is customary to assume cyclone separator fractional efficiency is independent of the mass distribution of the incoming dust. To test this hypothesis and to clarify the role of other variables known to influence cyclone performance, an experimental investigation of cyclone scaling using response surface techniques was undertaken. Both the overall collection efficiency and dimensionless pressure drop were found to be smooth, well-estimated functions of the Reynolds number, the dust loading, and their interaction over the experimental region, demonstrating that the effects of these variables must be studied concurrently. A simple similarity condition for fractional efficiency expressed in terms of the inlet distribution is proposed and experimentally confirmed. Both local reduction in overall efficiency with increased loading and unclassified particle collection, that is, collection independent of particle size, were observed experimentally and were described in a natural way using the present approach.