Cyclone separator with stacked baffles
A cyclone separator has at least one baffle spaced inwardly from the cyclone separator housing to serve as a false wall which allows particles that separate from the gas stream to fall down between the baffle and the housing without being re-entrained into the gas stream.
1. A cyclone separator, comprising:
a housing having top and bottom ends and a side wall defining a vertical axis and having a substantially circular cross-section;
said housing defining a tangential gas inlet near its top end; a gas outlet at its top end and a particulate outlet at its bottom end; and
a plurality of baffles inside said housing, each of said baffles having a substantially circular cross-section and an inner and outer surface and defining a baffle axis aligned with said vertical axis, each of said baffles being spaced inwardly from said side wall, said baffles being at different elevations with each baffle having a top edge and a bottom edge, with the top edge of an upper baffle being at a higher elevation than the top edge of an adjacent lower baffle and with the upper baffle extending downwardly outside of, and to a lower elevation than, the top edge of the adjacent lower baffle, so that particulate-entrained gas enters the tangential gas inlet and flows in a spiral path inside the baffles, with separated particles falling downwardly between the baffles and the side wall to the particulate outlet and with the gas reversing direction near the bottom of the housing and flowing upwardly inside the spiral to the gas outlet.
2. A cyclone separator as recited in claim 1 , and further comprising:
a plug located near the bottom end of said housing above said particulate outlet, including a plug wall that extends across said axis and is spaced inwardly from said side wall to define a path for particulate to pass from inside said housing through said particulate outlet.
3. A cyclone separator as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the baffles has an inverted frustro-conical shape.
4. A cyclone separator as recited in claim 3 , wherein at least the bottom baffle has an inverted frustro-conical upper portion and an upright frustro-conical lower portion, and wherein said at least bottom baffle defines a largest baffle diameter at a point intermediate its top edge and its bottom edge.
5. A cyclone separator as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the baffles has a cylindrical shape.
6. A cyclone separator as recited in claim 5 , wherein all the baffles have a cylindrically-shaped upper portion and an upright frustro-conical lower portion.
7. A cyclone separator as recited in claim 1 , wherein said housing defines a dip leg leading toward said particulate outlet and wherein at least one of said baffles extends into the dip leg.