It has been more than 20 years since high-efficiency slurry hydrocyclones were introduced to the world of minerals processing. At that time, the 360° laminar spiral inlet geometry introduced by Cavex was novel and offered a step change in hydrocyclone performance by reducing turbulence within the feed chamber yielding a sharper separation, lower bypass fraction, less misplacement of coarse particles. But that was more than 20 years ago – still seven years before the release of the iPhone! Certainly, technology has advanced. So, what has changed with slurry hydrocyclones since then?

One thing that hasn’t changed is the need to get more and more performance out of our existing minerals processing equipment. Ore grades continue to decline, mill throughput continues to increase, and equipment continues to get pushed beyond its original design capacity. Budgets and available space are constrained. Situation normal – we’re mining.

Fortunately though, at least for those who run slurry hydrocyclones in processing circuits, at least one manufacturer hasn’t rested on their artrifying catalogue of rotary phone era hydrocyclone technology.  Weir Minerals, recognizing the significant impact even minor improvements can have on the overall performance and profitability of mill circuits, continued to invest in and develop the next generation of slurry hydrocyclone technology.  In December 2020, Weir introduced their next generation of slurry hydrocyclone technology, the Cavex® 2 . 

The Cavex® 2 hydrocyclone marks a new era in separation technology. Its LIG+™ advanced laminar spiral inlet together with the size of the feed chamber reduces turbulence and allows the hydrocyclone to classify up to 30% more feed slurry, while occupying the same footprint as the original Cavex® or competitor cyclones. This enhanced performance is unmatched by any known hydrocyclone in operation today.

Weir’s Cavex® 2 hydrocyclone has been installed in various applications and run with various ores, including iron ore, across the globe. The results from these trials were very positive and summarized below: 

Advanced benefits:

• Increased operational and circuit capacity up to 30%.*
• Maximized plant recovery by reducing the quantity of misclassified particles with an average improvement of the alpha parameter in excess of 10%.
• Improvements in bypass with an average of over 15%.
• Fits into existing cyclone cluster footprints. This means that it’s easy to retrofit for both the original Cavex® and other cyclone manufacturers.
• Less turbulence during the separation process due to the LIG+™ inlet and chamber design.
• Enhanced performance with a Synertrex® enabled monitoring system which is able to detect roping or blockage conditions in advance. This enables continuous, efficient operation of the hydrocyclone.

The bottom line is the next generation of problem-solving slurry hydrocyclones is now available. Is your grinding circuit constrained by cyclone capacity? Not anymore. Is your circuit bogged down by too high a bypass fraction? Not anymore. Is your water use too high? Not anymore. We got Cavex 2.

Download the Weir Minerals Cavex Hydrocyclones pdf.
 
Jasper Engineering represents Cavex hydrocyclones in the upper midwest.  Send us a message  and we’ll help improve your slurry hydrocyclone performance. Or give us a call at (218) 262-342 or (952) 938-6504.