Sripriya R., Suresh N., Chakraborty S., Meikap B.C.
R and D Division, Tata Steel, Jamshedpur 831003, India; Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, India 826004 Jharkhand, India; Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharaghpur 721302, India; School of Chemical Engineering, Howard College, University of Kwazulu-Natal, King George Avenue, Durban 4041, South Africa
Sripriya, R., R and D Division, Tata Steel, Jamshedpur 831003, India; Suresh, N., Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, India 826004 Jharkhand, India; Chakraborty, S., Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharaghpur 721302, India; Meikap, B.C., Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharaghpur 721302, India, School of Chemical Engineering, Howard College, University of Kwazulu-Natal, King George Avenue, Durban 4041, South Africa
Hydrocyclones have been used for beneficiation of coal and mineral in coal washeries and mineral process industries. To enhance the efficiency of hydrocyclone, it is very essential to quantify the presence or absence of air core within the hydrocyclone. In the present study, for the first time, a new hydrocyclone design has been conceptualized and tested for its efficiency in separation of particles based on gravity. Experimental investigations have been carried out using design of experiments and the results have been analyzed statistically. The results have shown that suppressing the air core improves the separation efficiency of the hydrocyclone. Efforts have been made to explain the concept through fundamentals of fluid flow in hydrocyclone. The air core has a significant effect on particle separation as the relative density of the particles approach to the fluid density. The results will be used in the development of a new design of dense medium hydrocyclone at industrial scale that will improve the separation efficiency of the hydrocyclones by separating the near gravity particles more efficiently. © 2010 Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers, Seoul, Korea.