Dual stage cyclone separator, dual stage cyclone separator assembly, and method of using same

A dual stage cyclone separator comprising:

• a cyclone body having a main body having an upper end, a lower end, a cone with a downwardly decreasing diameter extending therebetween, and a central opening located in the upper end;
• a primary stage cyclone separator and a second stage cyclone separator, wherein the second stage cyclone separator is coaxial with, concentric within, and in fluid communication with the primary stage cyclone separator;
• the second stage cyclone comprising a secondary cyclone barrel having an exterior secondary cyclone barrel wall and an inner secondary cyclone barrel wall;
• the secondary cyclone barrel having at least one secondary cyclone inlet that is not a volute, wherein the secondary cyclone inlet is an opening that extends through the exterior secondary cyclone barrel wall;
• the main body being in fluid communication with a gas inlet for receiving a particle-contaminated gas;
• a centrifugal accelerator to induce centrifugal acceleration of the particle-contaminated gas stream, wherein the centrifugal accelerator is fixed to the cone and located in an annular space between the cone and an outer wall;
• a gas outlet for discharging a clean gas stream from the dual stage cyclone separator and in fluid communication with a center portion of the main body located proximate to the upper end of the main body;
• a solids extraction port, wherein a sidewall of said main body defines a solids extraction port opening located between said upper end and said lower end for discharging large particles from said cyclone body;
• and
• a small particle discharge opening, wherein the small particle discharge opening is located at a distal end of the central opening.

A method for separating large particles and small particles entrained in a particle-contaminated gas stream utilizing a dual stage cyclone separator, the method utilizing:

• a cyclone body having a main body having an upper end, a lower end, a cone with a downwardly decreasing diameter extending therebetween, and a central opening located inside the upper end, wherein the centrifugal accelerator is fixed to the cone and located in an annular space between the cone and an outer wall;
• a primary stage cyclone barrel and a second stage cyclone barrel, wherein the second stage cyclone barrel is coaxial with, concentric within, and in fluid communication with the primary stage barrel having a second stage cyclone inlet;
• the main body being in fluid communication with the gas inlet for receiving the particle-contaminated gas, wherein the gas inlet is located near the top of the cone;
• a gas outlet for discharging a clean gas stream from the dual stage cyclone separator and in fluid communication with a center portion of the main body located proximate to the upper end of the main body;
• a solids extraction port, wherein a sidewall of said main body defines a solids extraction port opening located between said upper end and said lower end for discharging large particles from said cyclone body;
• and
• a small particle discharge opening, wherein the small particle discharge opening is located at the lower end of the main body;
• the method comprising the steps of:
• forcing the particle-contaminated gas stream into the gas inlet and through a centrifugal accelerator in a dual stage cyclone separator comprising:
• inducing centrifugal acceleration of the particle-contaminated gas stream through the centrifugal accelerator, wherein the centrifugal accelerator changes the flow of the particle-contaminated gas stream from upward to rotational;
• separating large particles from the particle-contaminated gas stream through the primary stage cyclone barrel, wherein the large particles exit the dual stage cyclone separator through the solids extraction port;
• creating a semi-clean gas stream comprising small particles, wherein the semi-clean gas stream flows into the second stage cyclone from the first stage cyclone;
• separating small particles from the semi-clean gas stream through the second stage cyclone, wherein the small particles exit the second stage cyclone through the cone;
• creating a clean gas stream not including small particles;
• and
• sending the clean gas stream through a clean gas outlet.