Hydrocyclone is a mineral processing equipment that is used in slurry pumps to separate coarse and fine particles. In the hydrocyclone slurry is injected into the feeder which then goes to the vortex finder, depending upon the density of the slurry between the two phases(feeder and vortex finder), the centrifugal acceleration will cause the dispersed phase to move away from the central core towards either the apex or vortex.
Breaking down any of the systems can lead to degradation of efficiency and loss of profit. Although the hydrocyclone is simple to operate, several factors can influence its efficiency. Here are a few:
The Cyclone Feed is Not Working
There can be multiple reasons why you cannot feed slurry in the cyclone, some of the reasons are the pump is not plugged in, the inlet pipe is closed, blockage in the pipe through which the inlet pipe is connected. If any of these is happening then the solution is to check the power connection of the pump, look for any blockage in the pipe and make sure the feeder pipe is open.
Overflow in Slurry Tank
The possible reason for this can be the large volume of the pump, damage to pump lining, partial blockage of slurry transporting pipe or the size of the hydro cyclone is not supporting the amount in the feed. The appropriate outflow of material from the apex should form an umbrella shape, however, if the size of the umbrella is too big then you must consider the design parameters.
Nature of Ore
When we say nature of the ore, it means the properties of the ore include particle size, composition, and slurry concentration of the ore. When the slurry concentration is high, the mud content in the feed is high. This increases the movement resistance and the classification of ore become coarser, which leads to lower productivity of the hydro cyclone.
To avoid this, when the mud content is high, de-slime the content in advance. To ensure the pulp concentration is right conduct mineral beneficiation tests as per the condition of the slurry.
Conclusion
The three main factors which can impact the efficiency of the hydro cyclone are mentioned. It is worth noting that, all these factors should be checked from time to time as the efficiency of hydrocyclone is a systematic project. Contact leading hydrocyclone manufacturers in India to ensure there is no loss in productivity due to maintenance and servicing.