Density distribution in a heavy-medium cyclone

Heavy-medium cyclones are widely used to upgrade run-of-mine coal. But the understanding of flow in a cyclone containing a dense medium is still incomplete. By introducing turbulent diffusion into calculations of centrifugal settling a theoretical distribution function giving the density field can be deduced. Qualitative analysis of the density field in every part of a cylindrical cyclone suggests an optimum design that has exhibited good separation effectiveness and anti-wear performance when in commercial operation.