Effect of particle properties and concentration on classification performance of cyclone separator

Ozamoto, Nao*; Segawa, Tomoomi ; Kawaguchi, Koichi  ; Ishii, Katsunori ; Fukasawa, Tomonori*; Ishigami, Toru*; Fukui, Kunihiro*

In order to improve the performance of closed-circuit pulverization and classification systems, it is necessary to accurately evaluate the performance of classifier under various conditions. In this study, the influence of particle properties and concentration on the classification performance of a cyclone separator was investigated. The results of the experiment and simulation suggest that the dependence of classification performance on particle concentration is caused by microscopic interactions of the sweeping effect acting on the fluid-particle and inter-particle rather than by the change in the macroscopic overall flow field in the cyclone. The number of particles per unit mass derived from the density and particle size distribution of each test powder was consistent with that of the extent of the effect of particle concentration on classification performance, indicating the validity of the sweeping effect as the reason for this phenomenon.