Experimental study of the relationship between separation performance and lengths of vortex finder of a novel de-foulant hydrocyclone with continuous underflow and reflux function

To solve the blockage and defer the fouling of sewage heat exchanger, a novel de-foulant hydrocyclone with continuous underflow and reflux function was proposed. Experimental results demonstrated that the novel hydrocyclone had a remarkable behavior on separating the sand (75–250 μm) and foulant (<4 mm). The continuous underflow and reflux function could significantly improve the separation efficiency by relieving the particle re-entrainment and eliminating the air core without increasing energy consumption (<17 kPa) and split ratio (<10%) considerably. Besides, the range of optimum vortex finder length was proportional to the particle density.