A method of separating a shell from a seed may involve introducing a feed stream containing shells of a fruit intermixed with seeds of the fruit into a separation column at a feed stream location. The method may also involve introducing a first volume of a separation liquid into the separation column at a first liquid addition location located below the feed stream location and a second volume of the separation liquid into the separation column at a second liquid addition location located above feed stream location. The separation liquid may flow upwardly in the separation column at a rate effective to cause the seeds of the fruit to flow upwardly with the separation liquid toward a seed outlet of the separation column while the shells of the fruit flow downwardly against the upwardly flowing separation liquid toward a shell outlet of the separation column.

A compact hydraulic particle separator apparatus is disclosed. The disclosed apparatus comprises an upper chamber and a lower chamber separated by a partition. A liquid fluid flow upwelling through the partition from the lower chamber is caused to mix with tangential jet of fluid flowing introduced above the partition in the upper chamber produces an upwardly-flowing cyclonic flow within the upper chamber. Particle mixtures containing low- and high-density particles and other solids are introduced into the upper chamber through a feed tube having a mouth that is offset from the center of the upper chamber. Low-density particles are immediately entrained in the cyclonic flow and swept upward and exit the apparatus.

A cyclonic separation and materials processing method and system is presented in which materials entry at one end and which is arranged so that the materials that enter will be given a tangential velocity component as they enter. Specific embodiments include a three-dimensional sorting system with the use of an outward centrifugal motion and up/down (or vertical) motion flow of water or other media, which can be thought of as a three-dimensional separation.

Provided is a method that enables sufficient separation of an egg shell and an egg shell membrane from each other even in a small scale, using a simpler configuration than conventional methods. The method for separating an egg shell and an egg shell membrane from each other includes a step of adding an egg shell with an egg shell membrane attached thereto to a swirling flow of an alkaline solution.

Disclosed is a process for separating suspended particles based on size. When confined in a tube, a bubble moves relative to the liquid as a small fraction of the liquid leaks backwards through a very thin gap between the bubble and the internal wall of the tube. The lubricating film formed around the bubble can be fine-tuned by simply changing the average flow speed. With this thin film of liquid, the confined air bubble can be used to separate particles in, for example, poly-disperse microspheres suspensions. As the bubble passes through the suspension, only particles smaller than the liquid gap thickness can leak through the gap towards the back of the bubble, resulting a filtered particle suspension containing only small particles at the back of the bubble. Compared to the traditional methods, this particle separation process is easy to perform, and is flexible in filtering different suspensions with one set-up. Due to the flexibility of the bubble interface and the special film thickness profile of a translating confined bubble, this process also avoids clogging, and can be easily adapted to, e.g., separate different poly-disperse suspensions based on size.

Disclosed is a process for separating suspended particles based on size. When confined in a tube, a bubble moves relative to the liquid as a small fraction of the liquid leaks backwards through a very thin gap between the bubble and the internal wall of the tube. The lubricating film formed around the bubble can be fine-tuned by simply changing the average flow speed. With this thin film of liquid, the confined air bubble can be used to separate particles in, for example, poly-disperse microspheres suspensions. As the bubble passes through the suspension, only particles smaller than the liquid gap thickness can leak through the gap towards the back of the bubble, resulting a filtered particle suspension containing only small particles at the back of the bubble. Compared to the traditional methods, this particle separation process is easy to perform, and is flexible in filtering different suspensions with one set-up. Due to the flexibility of the bubble interface and the special film thickness profile of a translating confined bubble, this process also avoids clogging, and can be easily adapted to, e.g., separate different poly-disperse suspensions based on size.

A separator for separating sand from organic matter comprises a first compartment (11) for receiving and separating a mixture of sand, organic matter and liquid, a plurality of liquid inlets (29) in a bottom region of the first compartment (11) for introducing liquid into the bottom region of the first compartment and generating an upward liquid flow in the first compartment, means (47) for removing organic matter from the top of the mixture in the first compartment (11), an outlet in an upper region of the first compartment (11) for the discharge of organic matter and liquid, and an outlet (9) in a lower region of the first compartment for the discharge of sand and liquid.

In a method for separating low density particles from feed slurries, a bubbly mixture is formed in a downcomer and issues into a mid region in a chamber. An inverted reflux classifier is formed by parallel inclined plates below the mid region allowing for efficient separation of low density particles which rise up to form a densely packed foam in the top of the chamber, and denser particles which fall downwardly to an outlet.

In a method for separating low density particles from feed slurries, a bubbly mixture is formed in a downcomer and issues into a mid region in a chamber. An inverted reflux classifier is formed by parallel inclined plates below the mid region allowing for efficient separation of low density particles which rise up to form a densely packed foam in the top of the chamber, and denser particles which fall downwardly to an outlet.

A classifier cleaning and optimization device is provided. The device includes a chamber that is adapted to contain a fluidized bed, an array of two or more adjacently arranged inclined plates positioned above the fluidized bed wherein an inclined channel is formed between each pair of adjacent inclined plates, and a means for introducing a process liquid into the chamber between the fluidized bed and the array of inclined plates such that in use, the process fluid travels through at least one of the inclined channels. A method of cleaning the separation section of a classifier is also disclosed herein.