Method and apparatus for separating particles fluidly suspended in a slurry

A vortex finder substantially disposed within the interior of a cyclone particle classifier, said interior defining a cylindrical region atop the base of a frustoconical region, the vortex finder comprising:

• a substantially cylindrical elongated body defining a substantially coaxial passage, the top of the elongated body being open to the exterior of said cyclone classifier beyond said cylindrical region and opposite said frustoconical region, the bottom of the coaxial passage being open to said interior of said cyclone classifier and open towards the apex of said frustoconical region;
• a vortex side port in communication with said coaxial passage;
• a side port passageway extending from said vortex side port substantially longitudinally through said elongated body and having an exit port to the exterior of said body;
• an inner forced vortex tube disposed within said coaxial passage having a opening towards said apex of said frustoconical region, said inner tube adapted to extract a portion of the slurry in the forced vortex and remove the same to the exterior of said body.

A cyclone particle classifier for controllably separating out and classifying particles fluidly suspended in a slurry comprising:

• a housing defining a generally cylindrical region and a substantially frustoconical region therebelow with its apex extending away from said cylindrical region;
• a tangential inlet port means for introducing the fluid slurry into said cylindrical region;
• an elongated hollow vortex finder disposed in said housing having a substantially coaxial passage therethrough, the bottom of said coaxial passage being open toward said apex of said frustoconical region;
• means for controllably extracting first and second portions of said slurry at said apex of said frustoconical region and at the top of said vortex finder via said coaxial passage respectively;
• moveable means oontrollably positioned on said housing for removing different strata of said fluid slurry passing through the radially outer sectors of said cylindrical region dependent upon the position of said moveable means for removing;
• an inner forced vortex tube disposed within said coaxial passage of said vortex finder and having a opening towards said apex of said frustoconical region, said inner tube adapted to remove a third portion of the slurry to the exterior of said housing;
• a vortex side port in communication with said coaxial passage and a side port passageway substantially longitudinally extending from said vortex side port through said elongated vortex finder, said side port passageway adapted to pass a fourth portion of said slurry to the exterior of said housing;
• controllable means for stopping the flow of said fourth portion of said slurry through said side port passageway;
• means for analyzing a parameter of the particles entrained within the extracted first, second, third and fourth portions of said slurry and the removed strata obtained via said moveable means for removing and for generating first, second, third, fourth and fifth parameter signals;
• and
• control means for positioning said moveable means for removing dependent upon a comparison between one of said first, second, third, fourth and fifth parameter signals and a desired particle parameter.

A method of separating particles fluidly suspended in a slurry comprising the steps of:

• providing a defined cylindrical region and a frustoconical region with the base of said frustoconical region adjoining one axial end of said cylindrical region;
• injecting said slurry under pressure into said cylindrical region and establishing a swirling movement therein;
• controllably extracting a first portion of said slurry and strata of particles entrained therein at the radially outermost sectors of said cylindrical region;
• establishing a free vortex and a forced vortex of said slurry at least within said frustoconical region;
• removing a second portion of said slurry at said apex of said frustoconical region;
• and
• removing a fourth, fifth and sixth portion of said slurry and the entrained particles therein from said forced vortex.