Method and apparatus for hydrocyclone

A cyclone centrifuge apparatus for separating or classifying at least two components of different densities, comprising:

• (a) a housing having a cylindrical separating chamber with an interior wall including upper and lower portions and an interior top, and a cylindrical separating chamber longitudinal axis, a housing inlet to the cylindrical separating chamber, a first outlet and a second outlet from the cylindrical separating chamber, wherein the housing inlet has an inlet longitudinal axis;
• (b) a first flow conditioning assembly disposed in the cylindrical separating chamber downstream of the housing inlet for creating vertical flow in the cylindrical separating chamber;
• (c) the flow conditioning assembly including:
• (i) a removable cylindrical tube removably disposed in the cylindrical separating chamber, the removable cylindrical tube having a top and bottom, a cylindrical tube interior, an interior tube wall surrounding the cylindrical tube interior, an inlet to the cylindrical tube interior, a first outlet and a second outlet from the cylindrical tube interior, the inlet to the cylindrical tube interior being fluidly connected to the housing inlet to the cylindrical separating chamber, the first outlet and the second outlet from the cylindrical tube interior being fluidly connected respectively to the first outlet and the second outlet from the cylindrical separating chamber, wherein the housing inlet is located between the top and bottom of the removable tube;
• (ii) a helical vane removably disposed in the cylindrical tube interior and having an inner edge contacting a central helical tube, and an outer area contacting the interior tube wall, with upper and lower spaced apart vane elements creating a helical volume pathway to direct all fluid from the housing inlet of the cylindrical separating chamber across the helical pathway volume before exiting the helical pathway and into the remainder of the cylindrical separating chamber;
• (d) wherein, the helical vane includes an upper cap that sits on the tube top and the outer area of the helical tube is in contact with the interior top of the separating chamber;
• (e) a second flow conditioning assembly which, while keeping the housing, is selectively replaceable with the first flow conditioning assembly during a field operation and after replacement being disposed in the cylindrical separating chamber downstream of the inlet for creating vertical flow in the separating chamber.