An innovative compact high efficiency hydraulic particle separator is disclosed. Featured embodiments of the innovative separator comprise a cylindrical main body having 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 a spiral flow within the upper chamber and flows upward to the top of the apparatus. Particle mixtures containing low density and high specific gravity particles and other solids are introduced into the upper chamber are immediately contacted by the upward spiral flow, where low-density particles are immediately entrained in the spiral flow and separated from the high-density particles, swept upward and exit the apparatus. High-density particles may be forced outward and collect along the wall of the apparatus, falling through the partition to the lower chamber and settle in a collection vessel.

This application discloses a separator for separating and recovering materials from a waste stream. The separator has a cyclone having a top section and a bottom section, an impeller within the cyclone, a media inlet for accepting a flow of media or a pulsating flow of the media operatively connected to the impeller in which media or fluid flows through the impeller into the separator; a first discharge passage for a collecting a light fraction, and a second discharge passage for collecting a heavy fraction.

This application discloses a separator for separating and recovering materials from a waste stream. The separator has a cyclone having a top section and a bottom section, an impeller within the cyclone, a media inlet for accepting a flow of media or a pulsating flow of the media operatively connected to the impeller in which media or fluid flows through the impeller into the separator; a first discharge passage for a collecting a light fraction, and a second discharge passage for collecting a heavy fraction.