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

Answer: (B)

This is about separating solids from a gas by exploiting inertia in a swirling flow. In a cyclone-type separator, the gas stream enters tangentially and spins rapidly, creating a vortex. The heavy solid particles can’t follow the gas as it makes tight turns, so they experience outward radial (centrifugal) forces and migrate toward the outer wall. They lose momentum and slide down the wall to a collection hopper, while the cleaner gas exits from the top. This method works without filters or liquids and is widely used for removing dust or fly ash from industrial gas streams. Filters trap particles through a porous medium, a scrubber uses liquid to capture pollutants, and a general separator is a broad term that doesn’t specify the centrifugal separation mechanism.

This is about separating solids from a gas by exploiting inertia in a swirling flow. In a cyclone-type separator, the gas stream enters tangentially and spins rapidly, creating a vortex. The heavy solid particles can’t follow the gas as it makes tight turns, so they experience outward radial (centrifugal) forces and migrate toward the outer wall. They lose momentum and slide down the wall to a collection hopper, while the cleaner gas exits from the top. This method works without filters or liquids and is widely used for removing dust or fly ash from industrial gas streams. Filters trap particles through a porous medium, a scrubber uses liquid to capture pollutants, and a general separator is a broad term that doesn’t specify the centrifugal separation mechanism.