Hydrocyclones are used for sewage sludge degritting in applications requiring high efficiency and a high degree of grit removal. These requirements are particularly prevalent where high-speed centrifuges or close-tolerance equipment such as positive displacement pumps are used.
The hydrocyclone is similar to a conventional dust cyclone in that the feed is introduced tangentially to a cylindrical feed section and the liquid slurry develops a rotational movement and passes into a conical section. The centrifugal force created by cyclonic liquid movement forces heavier solid particles to the outer wall. Solids move along this wall and out the apex of the cone.
A vented overflow opening in the top of the cylindrical section insures that atmospheric pressure exists at the axis of the cyclone. The liquid and lighter solid materials pass up the center of the vortex and out the overflow. Shearing forces are high due to the change in tangential velocity across the diameter of the cyclone, and scouring of the lighter organic material from the grit occurs.
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