Cyclone question

[Grumple]

Normally a cyclone is connected to a vacuum source (industrial vacuum cleaner or motor driven impeller) on the opposite end of the inlet. I was curious if a cyclone would work the same if the power or flow side was on the inlet side? Like the discharge of a air handler connected to a cyclone where the outlet would just be clean air exiting? Will this work??
Thanks,
G

[FigureLLC]

yes, it can be done. better question is *should* it be done. for some applications i guess it wouldn't matter, but i think the idea of placing the blower on the exhaust side is that it takes a lot less abuse since the air exhausting from the cyclone is a lot cleaner than what's going in. plus you probably get a lot less air noise with it on the exhaust. i believe to minimize noise, your duct going into the cyclone should straight and at least 4 times the length of the impeller diameter... i think i read that out of a NASA noise reduction manual.

[Grumple]

I guess I need to be more clear... The pic of my booth shows the air handler that has the internal blower. It pretty much exhausts out into the shop. If any powder gets past the filters, it ends up in the shop. So I wanted to possibly put a cyclone attached to the exhaust end of the air handler to swirl and remove any powder into a storage can. I still may have to put a filter bag of some sort to help out. Or maybe, I just need to get better filters in the booth as I bought the cheapest ones I could find for mock up....
G
post #12
Powder and Paint Booth

[SCOTTRODS]

I guess I need to be more clear... The pic of my booth shows the air handler that has the internal blower. It pretty much exhausts out into the shop. If any powder gets past the filters, it ends up in the shop. So I wanted to possibly put a cyclone attached to the exhaust end of the air handler to swirl and remove any powder into a storage can. I still may have to put a filter bag of some sort to help out. Or maybe, I just need to get better filters in the booth as I bought the cheapest ones I could find for mock up....

Definitely buy some decent filters. Don't go 30 bucks each necessarily, but good filters around 10 bucks each wouldn't be so bad. Makes a huge difference in catching the powder that doesn't stick.

[Grumple]

Yeah, I guess I need to finish the sealing area around the filters too by putting in some foam or weatherstripping or a spring-back metal edge. I will go look at some filters. Know any that are best to use like 3M etc?
Thanks,
G

[tr4dude]

check out this page it has some good filters and cyclone info

WoodCentral Articles & Reviews

[FigureLLC]

putting filters before the cyclone is unnecessary. all they're gonna do is get clogged up, and anything small enough to get through the filters, the cyclone probably won't catch either. cyclones are considered separators, not filters... so they catch the bigger stuff and the smaller stuff is caught by post filters, i.e. final filters. if you're discharging the exhaust air back into the shop, use a cyclone (with no filters before it) and filters after it to catch the really fine stuff. this way, too, you can suck up anything that will fit through the duct to the cyclone. mine sucks up masking tape scraps, sand paper chunks, polishing wheel fuzzies, etc. we discharge to outside, so i don't use post filters and the system is completely maintenance-free, sans emptying the cyclone trash can every few months and greasing the motor bearings every 6.

[Grumple]

I know filter before the cyclone are not correct. I was mainly curious if the flow from the air handler would properly operate the cyclone. But you are correct in the fact the cyclone needs a final filter for the small stuff. I guess I was reading somewhere about using a cyclone between a vacuum cleaner and a sand blaster where it would collect most all of the dirt and dust thereby keeping the vacuum cleaner filter clean. I guess in reality the cyclone would mainly remove the heavy stuff and the dust would end up in the filter. I was hoping the cyclone would be like a final filter...Oh well. But on the good side, my booth seems to be working great and the initial test where I had some pc get into the shop may have been caused by an initial problem I had when the HF moisture separator blew up near my hand when my HF regulator didn't regulate and gradually was trying to go from 30 psi to line pressure when I was testing out the booth. The pc gun sprayed like a fire hose and really loaded up one filter. Since then, no more evidence of powder in the shop. Time will tell.
G