Performance Evaluation of Water-Injection Cyclone Treating a Synthetic Mixture

Abstract

The effect of change in operating variables i.e., vortex finder diameter,spigot diameter nd water injection rate on different performance numbers is studied in water-injection cyclone treating a synthetic mixture of atomized Ferro-silicon and ground silica sand. Suitable empirical models relating the operating variables and fines (below 25 microns) recovery, ferro-silicon and silica recoveries in the overflow productand the separation efficiency at 25 microns size are developed. At comparable levels of ope-rating throughput, the performance numbers obtained in a 100mm water-injection cyclone and a 100mm normal hydro- cyclone are discussed. An overall fines recovery of 85.6% was obtained in the overflow product of water-injection cyclone whereas in a normal hydrocyclone the combined fines recovery in the overflow product was 46.2%. Similarly the ferro-silicon recovery at fines below 25 microns in the overflow product from water-injection cyclone was 55.5% while that of hydro-cyclone was only 9.8%. Also, silica recovery at fines below 25 microns in the overflow product of a water-injection cyclone was 98.6% in comparison to 82.1% in a normal hydrocyclone. Separation efficiency values obtained between coarse and fine products at 25 microns in the overflow product of water-injection cyclone and hydro-cyclone were 83.5% and 45.8% respectively which indicates sharper classification in water-injection cyclone.