PARTICLE TECHNOLOGY LAB

REPORT
Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

SUBMITTED TO: DR SHAHZAD

SUBMITTED BY: WARIAH
(2020-CH-46)
Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

Table of Contents
Abstract: .......................................................................................................................................... 0
Apparatus: ....................................................................................................................................... 2
Related Theory: ............................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction: ................................................................................................................................ 2
Principle of Classification: .......................................................................................................... 2
Types of classifiers: ..................................................................................................................... 3
Construction of Hydrocyclone: ................................................................................................... 7
Working:...................................................................................................................................... 7
Performance indicators of Hydroclassifier:................................................................................. 8
Factors affecting performance indicators: ............................................................................... 8
Applications .................................................................................................................................... 9
Limitations .................................................................................................................................... 10
Specifications of laboratory Hydroclassifier: ............................................................................... 10
Specifications of Industrial Hydroclassifier.................................................................................. 10
Procedure ...................................................................................................................................... 10
Observations and Calculations:..................................................................................................... 11
Product size analysis: ................................................................................................................ 11
Graphs ........................................................................................................................................... 12
Discussions: .................................................................................................................................. 12
Graph Discussion: ......................................................................................................................... 13
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 13

Figure 1: Hydraulic classifier.......................................................................................................... 4

Figure 2: working principle of settling cone ................................................................................... 4
Figure 3: Mechanical Classifier ...................................................................................................... 5
Figure 4: Spiral classifier ................................................................................................................ 5
Figure 5: Rake classifier ................................................................................................................. 6
Figure 6: Hydrocyclone .................................................................................................................. 6
Figure 7: Parts of Hydrocyclone ..................................................................................................... 7
Figure 8: Working of Hydroclassifier ............................................................................................. 8

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Particle Technology Lab Report
University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

Table 1: Specifications of laboratory Hydroclassifier…………...................................................10

Table 2: Specifications of industrial Hydroclassifier…………………………………………….10

Abstract:
This experiment was performed to study the various parts of laboratory hydroclassifier with
special emphasis on their function. Further a screening test was performed on the given sample
of feed. Eventually, performance of classifier was calculated by determining cut size and
sharpness of separation.

Apparatus:
 Laboratory hydro classifier
 Feed sample
 Torsion / Electrical balance
 Sieve Shaker
 Set of Sieves

Related Theory:
Introduction:
Classification involves separating solid particles present in a mixture into fractions of product
depending upon their terminal velocities in air or water. It is a method of sizing which is
performed to achieve uniform particle size as the product from grinding operation is highly
invariable. For smaller feed sizes, classification technique is used instead of screening. This is
because as the feed size becomes smaller, screening becomes inefficient for less time; and if we
provide greater time that will increase the cost and decrease the capacity of machine. The
product obtained from classifiers is less than 1 mm in size. The wet classification results with
light particles rising to the surface while heavy particles sinking to the bottom.
Principle of Classification:
Principle of Classification is based on the sedimentation velocity of solid particles suspended in
water or air. As the density of particles may influence the settling, the process should be
designed in such a way that decreases the effect of density and increases the effect of size, for
example addition of impurities. Impurities will change the composition of particles that in turn,
change the density. As a result, size effect will increase. In classification, small particles are
removed as overflow and large particles tend to be in the underflow. The upward velocity of
water is set such that it is in between the terminal velocities of particles slightly larger and
slightly smaller than the desired cut size.
Free settling:
Free settling takes place when the individual particles fall freely in a still fluid medium without
any interaction with fellow particles. If percentage of particles in water is less than 15%, then
they will experience free settling. The industry follows a 12-15% limit.

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Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

Hindered settling:
Hindered settling takes place when the individual particle experiences interactions with
neighboring particles (water molecules, group settling) while falling down. Due to this
hindrance, the settling speed reduces.
Types of classifiers:

Classifiers

Horizontal
Vertical Current
Current Hydrocyclone
Classifier
Classifier

Mechanical
Settling cones
Classifier

Rake classifier Spiral classifier

Vertical Current Classifiers:

Vertical Current classifiers work on the principle of hindered settling and promote density effect.
 Hydraulic Classifier:
It is a type of vertical current classifier. It is used to concentrate a mineral on the basis of
difference between the densities of mineral and gangue particles. The grinded ore is fed
into a conical chamber filled with water. Water currents agitate the suspended ore. As a
result, lighter guange particles rise upwards and heavy mineral particles settle down.

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Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

Horizontal Current Classifiers:

Horizontal current classifiers work on the principle of free settling and promote sizing effect.
 Types:
1. Settling cones:
 Working Principle:
Settling cones or a cone classifier consists of a conical chamber in which slurry-feed is

Figure 1: Hydraulic classifier

added through a centrally located inlet pipe. Initially the bottom discharge opening i.e.
spigot is closed. As the slurry reaches a certain height, the spigot is opened and the settled
particle are allowed to escape. The fine particles tend to move towards the periphery of
the chamber along with water and overflow into a filter.

Figure 2: working principle of settling cone

 Applications:
They can be used for the classification of medium and fine-grain materials which are later
separated by gravimetric means. They can also be used as dewatering equipment in
small-scale operations. Mining and aggregate industries often use them to de-slime coarse
sands outputs.
 Main Disadvantages:
o Loss of fines
o Large walls inclination approx. >50 degrees
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Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

o Increased wall resistance

2. Mechanical classifiers
Mechanical classifiers consist of a settling tank and a mechanism to carry away the
settled particles from the bottom of the tank. A discharge system is installed to convey
the settled solids and the overflow falls into a launder and extracted. Classifiers can be
rectangular or circular shaped with bottom inclined at some certain angle. Commonly,
most of the classifiers are of circular shape. They have countless applications.
Sometimes, these are used in closed circuit grinding, for washing and dewatering
purposes. They are also used for the gravity concentration of metallic ores.

Figure 3: Mechanical Classifier

 Types:
 Spiral classifiers
Spiral classifiers are rectangular in shape. The feed is entered through an opening
about halfway along the height of the settling tank. The tank walls slope is in
between 14 and 18 degrees. The slope is adjusted in a way that the top end is
above the overflow barrier. The feed size for spiral classifiers is in the range of
150 µm and coarser. There are S and H type spiral classifiers depending upon the
height of the sides of the classifier. In case of higher sides, it is called H-type and
the lower sides classifier is called S-type.

Figure 4: Spiral classifier

 Rake classifiers

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University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

In rake classifiers, spirals are replaced by rakes. These are not as much common
as the spiral classifiers. The construction of rakes includes single or multiple
parallel lines of steel plates, hanging from a central shaft or shafts. These plates
are fixed on these shafts and have a repetitive back-and-forth and up-and-down
movement. The plates stir the settling solids and draw the settled particles to the
top of the tank. At the end of each stir, the plates move upwards abruptly and then
sink back into the tank after an eccentric movement, returning to its initial
position. As this operation goes on repetitively, the settled solids are conveyed to
the top of tank and eventually discharged to the sands launder. The overflow
crosses a weir at the bottom of the tank and is sent for further processing.

Figure 5: Rake classifier

3. Hydrocyclone
The hydrocyclone classifier makes use of centrifugal forces along with gravitational force
to achieve rapid settling and classification. It has no moving part and is the most easy-to-
operate classifier. A typical hydro-cyclone consists of a conically shaped vessel, open at
its apex, or underflow, joined to a cylindrical section, which has a tangential feed inlet.
The top of the cylindrical section is closed with a plate through which passes an axially
mounted overflow pipe. The pipe is extended into the body of the cyclone by a short,
removable section known as the vortex finder, which prevents short-circuiting of feed
directly into the overflow. It is mostly used for 5-200 µm size range.

Figure 6: Hydrocyclone

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Particle Technology Lab Report
University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

Construction of Hydrocyclone:
A hydrocyclone consists of:
 Feed entry pipe
 Feed cylinder
 Vortex finder
 Cyclone cone
 Apex or spigot
The feed cylinder, spigot, and the cyclone cone is lined from inside with rubber or other
synthetic linings to resist the wear from highly abrasive slurry feeds. Different lining materials
can be used. The most commonly used materials are hard rubber, neoprene, and urethane. In
some cases, the protective lining is sprayed inside forming a hard monolithic bond with the base
metal. The apex is sometimes fitted with a concentric, hardwearing synthetic rubber inner sleeve,
which can be squeezed hydraulically or pneumatically to alter the diameter of the opening.

Figure 7: Parts of Hydrocyclone

Working:
The working principle of hydrocyclone is based on the use of centrifugal force and a cyclonic
flow pattern which promotes separation of solids from the slurry. The solid particles must have
large density difference with the medium in order to achieve separation. Under a particular
pressure, the feed is entered radially into a cylindrical chamber of hydrocyclone, forming a
vortex. The bottom of the cylindrical chamber is axial and does not let the whole liquid escape
through it. Thus some of the liquid is forced to reverse its path which then flows anti-parallel
towards the overflow outlet. This reverse flow goes on to circle and an air core is formed at the

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Particle Technology Lab Report
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Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

axis of rotation due to pressure drop. This centrifugal motion pushes heavier particles outward
and downward along the conical chamber wall. As the diameter of cone becomes smaller down
the way, the speed of water increases and so the separation. At last, the denser and large particles
which are concentrated are discharged through the spigot.

Figure 8: Working of Hydroclassifier

Performance indicators of Hydroclassifier:

 Sharpness of separation:
It is the amount of material lost from the product and is calculated from the slope of the
efficiency curve. It is defined as the ratio of two particle sizes corresponding to two
different percentages of the grade efficiency curve.
 Cut size:
The cut size d50 is that specific size of particle in particle size distribution that has 50%
possibility to appear in the underflow or the overflow of hydrocyclone.
Factors affecting performance indicators:
Design parameters:
Cylinder Diameter:
The smaller the cylinder diameter, the smaller the cut size d50. This means that the smaller is the
size of particle which can be separated. On the other hand, sharpness of separation will increase.
The diameter varies directly with capacity. Maximum diameter of cylinder can be 1 ft.
Feed Inlet, Vortex finder, and apex diameters:
The feed inlet diameter dictates that at what velocity the slurry is being fed to the hydrocyclone.
The velocity is a function of cross-sectional area of apertures. If the diameter is greater, capacity
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Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

will increase and velocity will decrease. The term v in mv2/r will become small. This will
decrease the centrifugal force. Thus cut size will decrease, pressure drop will be greater. The
sharpness of separation/separation efficiency will not reduce significantly when the inlet size will
increase.
Similarly, cut size increases with increase in vortex finder diameter. Vortex finder diameter is
always lesser than apex diameter.
The increase in apex diameter increases the capacity but it will reduce the cut size. At the same
time, separation efficiency will increase. Usually, the apex diameter is variable in hydrocyclones.
Generally, the inlet diameter is 0.15-0.25 times of the cylinder diameter.
The vortex finder diameter is 0.30-0.45 times of the cylinder diameter.
The apex diameter is 0.25-0.35 times of the cylinder diameter.
Length or angle of cone
The angle of cone varies from 10.5 to 20 degrees depending upon the type of separation. The
lesser the angle, longer the cone and finer the particles. This means that cut size decreases on
increasing the angle, and separation efficiency increase. Increase in cone angle increases the air
core diameter and resultantly decreases the volume of underflow for a fixed apex diameter.
Operating Parameters:
Solids percentage:
Keeping all other operating parameters constant, a higher feed concentration will result in a
larger cut size, lower sharpness of separation, and a higher drop in pressure. High feed solids
concentration causes hindered setting, higher concentration of solids in the underflow and
enhances the capacity.
Feed Pressure:
If the feed pressure is below the aimed pressure, a coarser cut size than desired will be obtained.
On the other hand, if the pressure is higher than desired, more fines will become a part of
underflow. That means cut size will decrease. Therefore, it is important to keep the pressure
constant in order to keep d50 constant.

Applications
 Wastewater treatment
 Starch Industry: To refine starch
 Potato Processing Industry: to separate starch from cutting water in French fries and
chips
 For separation of gypsol from cottonseed protein in cottonseed oil processing
 To separate oil from water
 Sand separation and classification
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University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore
Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

Limitations
 Process only very small sized particles
 Efficiency reduces when the flow is below capacity
 It's difficult to separate compounds with comparable densities.
 Cannot deal with a viscous flow.
 Abrasive wear is caused at extremely high velocities.
 Cannot produce entirely dry underflow.
 In reverse flow cyclones, clogging of the dust outflow is typical.

Specifications of laboratory Hydroclassifier:

Table 1: Specifications of laboratory Hydroclassifier
Name of Machine Centrifugal Hydroclassifier
Motor Power 0.25 HP
Motor RPM 500-2500
Size of classifier 9 inch

Specifications of Industrial Hydroclassifier

Table 2: Specifications of Industrial Hydroclassifier
Model Interior Cone Overall Feeding Feeding Processing Range Dimensions (L*W*H)
diameter angle pipe size pressure capacity µm (mm)
(mm) diameter (mm) MPa m3/h
(mm)

FX660 660 20 18-240 16 0.03-0.2 250-350 74-220 1250 890 2650

FX500 500 20 130-200 10 0.03-0.3 140-220 74-200 850 790 2050

15 74-150 850 790 2380
FX350 350 20 80-120 6 0.04-0.3 60-100 50-150 775 605 1765
15 50-120 775 605 2115
FX300 300 20 65-115 5 0.04-0.4 45-85 50-150 665 585 1310
15 40-100 665 585 1505

Procedure
 Identify each part of the machine and find out its function.
 Take a feed sample and perform sieve analysis by using the sieve set.
 After measuring the weights retained on each sieve, mix the sample properly.
 Close the spigot valve at the bottom of the hydroclassifier and the fill the tank with water
by opening the valve of water supply connected to the hydroclassifier.
 When the tank is filled, open the spigot valve and adjust it to maintain a uniform flowrate
at overflow and underflow ends.

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 Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

 Put collection lauders beneath the overflow and underflow tanks for collection of test
products.
 Pour the mixed sample at an appropriate uniform feed rate from the feed end at the center
position of the classifier.
 Collect the underflow and overflow products into the launders and kept them there until
all the solid particles settle down at the bottom.
 Decant the clear water from each launder very slowly so that no solid particle may go
away from the launder.
 Collect dewatered overflow and underflow products in separate trays and dry them in
oven at 110° C.
 Use sieves of same aperture size as that of screens for feed and perform sieve analysis on
each product separately.
 Lastly, plot a graph between distribution coefficient and aperture size and determine the
cut size and performance of classifier.

Observations and Calculations:

Product size analysis:
Screen Feed Overflow Underflow Actual distribution Corrected Corrected Corrected
aperture (g) (g) (g) coefficient overflow underflow distribution
size (g) (g) coefficient
(mm)

1 110 3 105 95.45454545 3 107 97.27

0.85 125 12 108 86.4 13 112 89.6
0.60 143 40 96 67.13 45 98 68.53
0.41 107 43 57 53.27 46 61 57.009
0.25 187 110 64 34.22 117 70 37.43
0.15 169 118 39 23.07 119 40 23.66
0.0.75 207 185 10 4.83 196 11 5.314
pan ⅀=1048 ⅀= 511 ⅀=479

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Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

Graphs
Plot between Distribution coefficient % and aperture size:
120

100
distribution coefficient %

80

60 real
corrected
40

20

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
aperture size (mm)

d50 (Actual) = 0.26 mm

d50C (corrected) = 0.4 mm
Sharpness of separation (Actual): d25/ d75= 0.2/0.64 = 0.31
Sharpness of separation (corrected) = 0.24/0.66 = 0.36

Discussions:
The experiment helped us understand the functioning of a hydrocyclone. We grasped its
operational conditions and later experimented to find its performance.
In mineral industry, the classification operation by hydrocyclones are carried out under wet
conditions. Dry classification is seldom performed. On entering feed chamber, the slurry feed
gets divided inside the feed cylinder and the conical section as a result of the inlet feed pressure
and the swirling action. The denser particles start settling quickly under the action of gravity and
centrifugal forces. The less denser and light particles remain at the center of axis of cyclone and
escape through overflow. However, some of the heavier and light particles do get trapped in the
opposite streams and escape.
The hydroclassifier has no moving part. Its operation depends upon.
1. Feed stream characteristics
2. Cyclone geometry
The feed stream characteristics include:
1. Size and size distribution of solids in the feed slurry
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Particle Technology Lab Report
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Experiment no. 7: Hydroclassifier

2. Solid percentage and viscosity

3. Pressure difference between inlet and vortex finder, called the feed pressure
The cyclone geometry includes,
1. Inlet geometry and area
2. Cyclone dimensions (length, cone angle)
3. Inlet, vortex finder and apex diameters
The feed size varies from 150 µm down to fines. In open circuit operation, 30% solid
concentration is acceptable and it is 60% for the closed circuits. Mostly, the feed pressure is 345-
700 kPa. Practically, it is dependent on cyclone diameter. The feed velocity should be around
3.7-6.1 m/s and its acceleration in feed cylinder varies inversely with hydrocyclone diameter.

Graph Discussion:
The graph plotted between aperture size and distribution coefficient is known as the performance
curve. The blue curve shows the actual values. The curve demonstrates that the cyclone cut size
is 0.26 mm. A similar curve for the overflow can also be drawn that will look exactly like this
curve. It is noted that this curve does not pass through the origin. This means that a fraction of
slurry bypassed the cyclone without classification. Thus the cut size for this curve needed
correction. The red curve shows the corrected values. The actual cut size was 0.26 mm. After
correction, it became 0.4 mm. This graph can help us find out a lot of other properties like
imperfection, partition error and sharpness index. Sharpness index has already been calculated
above and it turned out to be 0.36.
To calculate imperfection (corrected),
d75 – d25/2d50 = 0.66-0.24/ 2(0.4) = 0.52
To calculate 75% partition error (corrected),
d75/d50 = 0.66/0.4 = 1.65

Conclusion
Hydrocyclone is quite efficient machine for the classification of fine particles. It is beneficial for the
wastewater treatment, dewatering and desliming purposes. Our laboratory hydrocyclone has a cut size
of 0.4mm and its sharpness of separation is 0.36.

References
[1] D. Y. Ashok Gupta, Mineral Processing Design and Operations, Elsevier.

[2] J. A. F. Barry A. Wills, Will's Mineral Processing: An introduction to the Practical Aspects of Ore
Treatment and Mineral Recovery, Elsevier.

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