Particle collection, efficiency, centrifugal

Other Centrifugal Collectors. Cyclones and modified centrifugal collectors are often used to remove entrained Hquids from a gas stream. Cyclones for this purpose have been described (167—169). The rotary stream dust separator (170,171), a newer dry centrifugal collector with improved collection efficiency on particles down to 1—2 pm, is considered more expensive and hence has been found less attractive than cyclones unless improved collection in the 2—10-pm particle range is a necessity. A number of inertial centrifugal force devices as well as some others termed dynamic collectors have been described in the Hterature (170). 

Centrifugal Separation Centrifugal force can be utilized to enhance particle collection to several hundredfold that of gravity. The design of cyclone separators for dust removal is treated in detail in Sec. 17 under Gas-Solids Separations, and typical cyclone designs are shown in Fig. 17-43. Dimension ratios for one family of cyclones are given in Fig. 17-36. Cyclones, if carefully designed, can be more efficient on hquids than on solids since liquids coalesce on capture and are easy to drain from the unit. However, some precautions not needed for solid cyclones are necessary to prevent reentrainment. 

These operations may sometimes be better kno Ti as mist entrainment, decantation, dust collection, filtration, centrifugation, sedimentation, screening, classification, scrubbing, etc. They often involve handling relatively large quantities of one phase in order to collect or separate the other. Therefore the size of the equipment may become very large. For the sake of space and cost it is important that the equipment be specified and rated to Operate as efficiently as possible [9]. This subject will be limited here to the removal or separation of liquid or solid particles from a vapor or gas carrier stream (1. and 3. above) or separation of solid particles from a liquid (item 4j. Reference [56] is a helpful review. 

The disk centrifuge is the type of centrifuge used most often for bioseparations. It has the advantage of continuous operation. It consists of a short, wide bowl 8 to 20 in. in diameter that turns on a vertical axis (Figure 10.2b). The closely spaced cone-shaped discs in the bowl decrease the distance that a suspended particle has to be moved to be captured on the surface and increases the collection efficiencies. In operation, feed liquid enters the bowl at the bottom, flows into the channels and upward past the disks. Solid particles are thrown outward and the clear liquid flows toward the center of the bowl and is discharged through an annular slit. The collected solids can be removed intermittently or continuously. 

The collection of particles is achieved in a countercurrent flow between the water droplets and the particulates. In a cyclonic scrubber, water is injected into the cyclone chamber from sprayers located along the central axis, as shown in Fig. 7.19. The water droplets capture particles mainly in the cross-flow motion and are thrown to the wall by centrifugal force, forming a layer of slurry flow moving downward to the outlet at the bottom of the cyclone. Another type of scrubber employs a venturi, as shown in Fig. 7.20. The velocity of the gas-solid suspension flow is accelerated to a maximum value at the venturi throat. The inlet of the water spray is located just before the venturi throat so that the maximum difference in velocity between droplets and particles is obtained to achieve higher collection efficiency by inertial impaction. A venturi scrubber is usually operated with a particle collector such as a settling chamber or cyclone for slurry collection. 

These findings are favourable for the theory developed in Chapters 10 and 11. Simultaneously it enables us to conclude that the collision stage, i.e. the particle rebound and the effect of centrifugal force, play a major role in the decrease of measured collection efficiency for particles of supercritical size. 

The concept of the start radius and its relation to the volume of su en sion processed is a very inq)ortant one in relation to understanding the collection efficiency of a centrifuge. For exan le, it is possible to rearrange Equation (8.9), using Stokes law for Ut to provide an equation for the particle size when the collection efficiency is 50%, thus ... 

---