2. Cyclone separator fundamentals
Cyclone separators are inertial aerosol sampling devices
in which centrifugal acceleration is used to collect the
particles. A schematic diagram of a cyclone separator is
shown in Fig. 1. The body of a cyclone separator is
cylindrical at the top and has a conical base. Most cyclones
have tangential inlets and the cross-section of the inlet to the
cyclone is usually rectangular although variations have been
used by several researchers [1,6]. There are two outlets in a
cyclone separator, one at the bottom of the conical section
called the dust outlet or the underflow, and the other at the
top of the cyclone called the vortex finder or the overflow.