Effect of Feed-Flow Rate in a Solid-Liquid Hydrocyclone Based on Total Solid Recovery Equation

Many studies of hydrocyclones have confirmed that increasing the feed-flow rate results in a higher separation efficiency. The purpose of this study was to investigate the separation efficiency for a 100 mm solid–liquid hydrocyclone with 1 and 2 wt% solid concentrations at feed-flow rates of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 m3/hr. The solid concentration and particle size distribution were analysed using drying–weighing and a particle-size analyser (Mastersizer 2000), respectively. The experimental results indicated that an increase in feed-flow rate from 2 to 4 m3/hr produced decreased separation efficiency. However, when the feed-flow rates increased from 4 to 6 m3/hr, the separation efficiency increased. Furthermore, the higher the feed-flow rate, the smaller the cut size. A novel separation efficiency equation in terms of the concentration ratio and flow ratio is also proposed.