Case Study: In process monitoring of hydrocyclone separation
Supported by DTI Foresight project with Imerys providing industrial facilities.
Background and objectives
- Hydrocyclones are used extensively to separate clay and other particles by size and weight.
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A key element of their operation is the maintenance of an air core within the process unit.
Aim to improve performance through:
- detection of wear
- performance audit
- fault detection
- on-line control
Results
Aircore Diameter
- The air core was imaged using ERT. These images were separately validated using x-ray photography and ultrasound.
- Measurement of spigot wear and air core size is shown above. This information was derived through a tailored reconstruction algorithm that significantly increased resolution of the air core diameter.
- Discrimination between different fault conditions are shown in sequence below from tomograms at the base of the cyclone.
Normal operation "Roping" solids
air core in centre in centre
No spigot Blocked
air core larger No aircore
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