Cyclone Bib Question

[Chris Parks]

It has always been my assumed understanding that the air in the collection bin of cyclone was for a better term fairly peaceful and definitely not turbulent but I am starting to think that this is not the case. Has anyone got any experience as to what is really happening to the air in the bin?

[Jamie Buxton]

My bin has a transparent window in the side near the top, so I can see when the bin needs emptying. I can tell you that the chips do swirl around quite a bit in there.

[glenn bradley]

Correct. The diagrams and animations that show the spoil drifting down out of the cyclonic air stream like little snowflakes is to demonstrate that the slower air speed allows the spoil to separate. It is not that peaceful. When I open my bin there is a pattern in the spoil. Same on the dust deputy with the vac.

[Jim Andrew]

When planing, I watch the hose under the cyclone to make sure it doesn't run over. Seems like the stream twists down the hose into the barrel. Usually the barrel is full clear to the edge by the time the hose fills.

[Chris Parks]

I thought I had replied to Jamie but apparently the electrons got lost. Thanks for all the replies, they confirm what I thought must have been happening after recent observations. Lucky I didn't have any money on it being quite.

[Martin Wasner]

[Chris Parks]

Notice that the dust ceases to move in a circular motion near the end of the tube and losses contact with the tube wall. I have just done a Clearvue installation with a longer drop than that but in solid PVC so I can't look at the dust behaviour. On a normal short drop I imagine the circular air pattern would definitely be seen in the bin.

[Martin Wasner]

Notice that the dust ceases to move in a circular motion near the end of the tube and losses contact with the tube wall. I have just done a Clearvue installation with a longer drop than that but in solid PVC so I can't look at the dust behaviour. On a normal short drop I imagine the circular air pattern would definitely be seen in the bin.

That's about 6½' of drop, you still see a swirl pattern in the barrel. I have to imagine you have to drop much further than that before it is just free falling with no lateral movement.

[Chris Parks]

I a gree, it was only an observation of what was happening.

[John K Jordan]

It has always been my assumed understanding that the air in the collection bin of cyclone was for a better term fairly peaceful and definitely not turbulent but I am starting to think that this is not the case. Has anyone got any experience as to what is really happening to the air in the bin?

My ClearVue has a 6" length of flex on the bottom leading to a round, 30 gal metal trash can bin. The flex is fastened to a length of smooth-walled 6" dia PVC pipe which extends about 1/2" into the bin through the metal lid.

In mine the air apparently spins nice and peacefully. To me, evidence of the continued smooth swirl in the bin itself is the smooth inverted cone in the dust. The smoothness is especially evident after collecting talcum-fine dust from sanding. This cone is there even when there is only a little saw dust in the bottom. I empty the bin when the elevated sides of the cone reach the top lip at the bin - at that point the cone of empty space is perhaps 6" or so lower.

A square bin, one with an air leak, or one with a connection that wasn't smooth might have more turbulence, I don't know. Mine has no leaks. I've never let it fill more than described so I don't know what happens then.

Just curious, as long as it is working OK would what happens in the bin make any difference? I guess it might if the air inside was turbulent enough to toss fines back up into the center of the cyclone cone to get pulled into the filters.

JKJ

[Chris Parks]

John, no it makes no difference in the actual dust collection but impacts on other stuff I am working on from the last installation I did.

[John K Jordan]

John, no it makes no difference in the actual dust collection but impacts on other stuff I am working on from the last installation I did.

Even more curious now - what kinds of things are impacted? Working on a supercharged cyclone? A top-secret spinning air tunnel for testing drones to analyze tornados?

[Chris Parks]

All will be revealed further down the track John, I doubt it will be of interest to you guys in the US though.

[Peter Christensen]

How about Canadians? We are an interesting bunch you know.

[Chris Parks]

Peter, keep warching the Oz forum but it is still at least six months away at a guess.