Which equipment uses centrifugal force to separate solids from a gas stream?

Which equipment uses centrifugal force to separate solids from a gas stream?

• A. Scrubber
• B. Separator column
• C. Filter
• D. Cyclone

Answer: (D)

The main idea is separating solids from gas by using inertial, centrifugal forces generated by a swirling flow. A cyclone creates a high-velocity vortex by guiding the gas to spin around inside a conical chamber. Heavier solid particles can’t follow the tight curves of the gas stream, so they are flung outward toward the wall, slide down the cone, and collect in a bottom hopper. The cleaned gas spirals upward and exits from the top after near-center flow paths. This approach is simple, has no moving parts, and is effective for removing relatively large or dense particles from a gas stream, though it may be less efficient for very fine particles. The other devices rely on different physics: a scrubber uses liquid contact to wash particles out or dissolve them, a separator column relies on gravity to settle suspended droplets or solids, and a filter traps particles in a porous medium through interception and diffusion, without imparting a strong centrifugal force.

The main idea is separating solids from gas by using inertial, centrifugal forces generated by a swirling flow. A cyclone creates a high-velocity vortex by guiding the gas to spin around inside a conical chamber. Heavier solid particles can’t follow the tight curves of the gas stream, so they are flung outward toward the wall, slide down the cone, and collect in a bottom hopper. The cleaned gas spirals upward and exits from the top after near-center flow paths. This approach is simple, has no moving parts, and is effective for removing relatively large or dense particles from a gas stream, though it may be less efficient for very fine particles. The other devices rely on different physics: a scrubber uses liquid contact to wash particles out or dissolve them, a separator column relies on gravity to settle suspended droplets or solids, and a filter traps particles in a porous medium through interception and diffusion, without imparting a strong centrifugal force.