Abstract

Significance Cyclone separators， known for their simple structure， ease of installation and operation， and cost-effectiveness， are considered one of the most economical gas-solid separation devices and are widely utilized in industries such as energy， chemical engineering， environmental protection， and pharmaceuticals. By utilizing the high-speed rotation of airflow to generate centrifugal force， cyclone separators achieve efficient gas-solid separation. However， despite meeting basic requirements， challenges including low separation efficiency， significant pressure drop， and issues such as cyclone tube blockage， scaling， and abrasion persist. Increasing demands for energy efficiency and emission reduction have raised expectations for cyclone separators， necessitating improvements in efficiency， pressure drop， and stability. Although extensive efforts have been made to explore separation mechanisms and enhance separation performance， further technical innovation and application optimization are needed to address these issues.

Progress Based on the inlet flow direction， cyclone separators are classified into tangential inlet and axial inlet with guide vanes. Researchers worldwide have conducted extensive experimental and numerical simulation studies to enhance their separation efficiency， including analyzing unconventional vortex flow fields， improving internal structures， and integrating external auxiliary devices. However， the complex movement of solid-phase particles inside the separators poses challenges for performance optimization. To overcome the drawbacks in traditional experimental methods such as long experimental cycles and high workload， numerical simulation techniques， including large eddy simulation （LES）， Reynolds stress models， and enhanced RNG k-ε models， are increasingly used to analyze flow behavior and assess the separator performance under different operating conditions. Two main indicators， i.e.， pressure drop and separation efficiency， are used to evaluate their performance. Pressure drop estimates the energy loss experienced by cyclone separators under specific operating conditions， while separation efficiency evaluates their ability to separate particles. Key sensitive factors influencing separation performance include operational and structural parameters. Operational parameters consist of inlet particle concentration， particle size， inlet velocity， and inlet pressure， which can alter the internal flow field of separators. Structural parameters include cone-to-cylinder ratio， diameter， and height. Despite the relatively simple structure， determining the optimal combination of these structural parameters remains a challenge. In scenarios requiring high processing volumes and superior separation performance， such as in chemical plants and pharmaceutical factories， multi-stage separation processes can enhance processing capacity and separation efficiency. However， cyclone separators are not optimal for separating fine particles， and further optimization is required to meet the increasing demands for separation performance.

Conclusions and Prospects Cyclone separator technology has garnered significant attention from scholars worldwide， with extensive research focusing on improving separation performance and structural design. However， advances in numerical simulation techniques and computational capabilities present opportunities for further model and algorithm optimization， which could enhance simulation accuracy and efficiency. Moreover， exploring more complex operating conditions through numerical simulations and conducting comparative analyses between simulation results and actual operational data can deepen our understanding of the internal flow behavior of cyclone separators， facilitating their practical applications in engineering. Challenges persist in improving their separation efficiency， particularly for extremely fine particles and highly diverse particle distributions. Fluctuations in particle loading， changes in gas composition， and variations in operating conditions can further compromise the stability and reliability of the device. High pressure drop， leading to increased operational costs and limited applications， remains a crucial challenge. Future research should focus on refining design and optimization strategies to meet the complex gas-solid separation requirements across different industrial applications. The integration of technologies such as 3D printing， big data， and artificial intelligence offer promising pathways to explore new research methods， further deepening our understanding of the internal flow fields and separation processes of cyclone separators under complex conditions， and promoting their broader application in practical engineering.

Keywords： gas-solid separation； cyclone separator； separation mechanism； separation performance

Get Citation:HAN Chuanjun， HU Yang， LIANG Bin， et al. Research status of cyclone separators［J］. China Powder Science and Technology， 2025， 31（6）： 1-13.

Received: 2024-07-05 .Revised: 2024-09-10 ,Online: 2025-05-22

Funding Project: 国家自然科学基金项目，编号：52374011；四川省杰出青年基金项目，编号 ：2019JDJQ0038。

First Author: 韩传军（1979—），男，教授，博士，博士生导师，四川省学术和技术带头人，研究方向为石油天然气装备现代设计与制造。E-mail：hanchuanjun@swup.edu.cn。

DOI：10.13732/j.issn.1008-5548.2025.06.004

CLC No:TB44； TQ324.8   Type Code: A

Serial No:1008-5548（2025）06-0001-13