Particles from centrifugal force

Centrifugal separators make use of the common principle that an object whirled about an axis at a constant radial distance from the point is acted on by a force. Use of centrifugal forces increases the force acting on the particles. Particles that do not settle readily in gravity settlers often can be separated from fluids by centrifugal force. 

Hydrocylones have become common on offshore facilities and rely on centrifugal force to separate light oil particles from the heavier water phase. As the inlet stream is centrifuged oil particles move to the centre of the cyclone, coalesce and are drawn off upwards, while the heavier water is taken out at the bottom. 

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). 

Every method, with the exception of imaging technologies, provides the measurement of an equivalent spherical diameter in one form or another. The spherical diameter information can be deduced indirectiy from the behavior of the particles passing through restricted volumes or channels under the influence of gravity or centrifugal force fields, and from interaction with many forms of radiation. 

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. 

Another advantage of the radial reacrion turbine is that it can be designed to accept condensation in any amount without efficiency deterioration or erosion. This is possible because there are two forces acring on suspended fog particles, the deceleration force and the centrifugal force, and these two forces can be balanced against each other to prevent the droplets from impinging on specially shaped blades. The process is expl ned as follows ... 

Consider a thin layer solid bowl centrifuge as shown in Figure 4.20. In this device, particles are flung to the wall of the vessel by centrifugal force while liquor either remains stationary in batch operation or overflows a weir in continuous operation. Separation of solid from liquid will be a function of several quantities including particle and fluid densities, particle size, flowrate of slurry, and machine size and design (speed, diameter, separation distance, etc.). A relationship between them can be derived using the transport equations that were derived in Chapter 3, as follows. 

Crystals suspended in liquors emerging from crystallizers are normally passed to solid-liquid separation devices such as gravity settlers or thickeners that may subsequently feed filters to remove yet more liquid prior to drying. Here the transport processes of particle motion and the flow of fluids through porous media are important in determining equipment size, the operation of which may be intensified by application of a centrifugal force. 

Since cyclones rely on centrifugal force to separate particulates from the air or gas stream, particle mass is the dominant factor that controls efficiency. For particulates with high densities (e.g., ferrous oxides), cyclones can achieve 99 per cent or better removal efficiencies, regardless of particle size. Lighter particles (e.g., tow or flake) dramatically reduce cyclone efficiency. 

The first pseudo force, Fi, is called the Coriolis force, and its magnitude is directly proportional to the angular velocity of the rotating frame of reference and the linear velocity of the particle in this frame. By definition, this force is perpendicular to the plane where vectors Vi and o are located, Fig. 2.3a, and depends on the mutual position of these vectors. The second fictitious force, F2, is called the centrifugal force. Its magnitude is directly proportional to the square of the angular velocity and the distance from the particle to the center of rotation. It is directed outward from the center and this explains the name of the force. It is obvious that with an increase of the angular velocity the relative contribution of this force... 

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