A hydrocyclone is most often used to separate "heavies" from a liquid mixture originating at a centrifugal pump or some other continuous source of pressurized liquid. A hydrocyclone is most likely to be the right choice for processes where "lights" are the greater part of the mixture and where the "heavies" settle fairly easily.
The work principle of hydrocyclones is to separate two or several components with different densities with the aid of centrifugal force.
As a key part of drilling fluids solids control equipment desander and desilter for separating solids, hydrocyclones in different specifications work against different diameters and for different cleannesses. Besides, separation capacity is closely related with cyclone diameter since larger diameter is aimed at larger particles while smaller one contends with smaller particles.
I. Installation & Maintenance of Hydrocyclone:
1. Desander ought to be installed on a well-prepared, flat foundation or merely on the ground. Then three expansion bolts are adequate to keep the base stable on the foundation built with concrete, which has a round or square surface and is 150mm high.
2. Take notice of the pipelines and flow directions in the installation.
3. Surface configuration of mud tank ought to include some space for operators. Though no maintenance is necessary for desander when it has no mobile parts, it is important to maintain a stable load at the inlet and proper force towards the drain valve, and to keep it from human damage.
II. Attention to Adjustment of Hydrocyclone:
1. It is not allowed to decommission the desander out of personal will.
2. It is proper to install the desander behind the untra-deepwater pump.
3. The system may automatically pause periodically or seasonally. Before that happens, certain amount of corrosion inhibitors or excessive high water level protection can be applied to reduce corrosion and protect system.
Generally, hydrocyclones are used in continuous flow systems so that the instantaneous liquid inflowing to the hydrocyclone is equal to the total instantaneous outflow of "lights" plus "heavies". In cases where "heavies" are a very small part of the whole liquid, it is sometimes advantageous to accumulate them in the bottom of the hydrocyclone for batchwise removal.