Study on the Separators for Plastic Wastes Processing

The separating principle of the cyclone separator has been analyzed by analyzing the tangential speed, the axial speed, and the pressure distribution of the flow field inside the cyclone separator. The dimensional parameters of the separator with larger effects on the separation efficiency of plastics have been identified such as the length of the overflow pipe, the length of the separator, and the diameter of the discharge opening. Based on Taguchi method, orthogonal experiments have been designed for separating process parameters according to the identified dimensional parameters. Furthermore, the separating process has been simulated for different dimensional parameters and different operating conditions. The separating efficiency of waste plastics has been obtained. According the analyses, the optimization of the separator has been conducted. The optimal dimensional parameters and operating parameters of the cyclone separator have been identified for high efficient separation of waste plastics.