A fluid separation apparatus for removing one fluid component from another fluid component in a fluid stream includes an impeller disposed between an annular inlet chamber and a first fluid chamber having a hollow, conical trapezoidal shape with a diameter that reduces along a portion of the length of the first fluid chamber. The impeller redirects a liquid flowing in a circular swirling flow path along the wall of the inlet chamber to an outlet an inlet of the first fluid chamber disposed adjacent the central axis of the first fluid chamber. A coaxially aligned extraction pipe extends into a lighter density fluid envelope formed in the first fluid chamber adjacent the inlet of the first fluid chamber. The extraction pipe may be dynamically adjustable based on the shape of the lighter density fluid envelope to maximize removal of lighter density fluid from the lighter density fluid envelope.

A vortex hydroturbine includes a tank to be filled with a liquid, such as water. At least one turbine is driven exclusively by flowing water to circulate the liquid within the tank and produce a vortex. A central turbine is driven by the circulating liquid and an electric generator is driven by the central turbine for producing electricity to be supplied to a load. A method for operating a vortex hydroturbine is also provided.

An apparatus for separating particles from an airflow, the apparatus comprising a housing comprising an inner wall, and a body positioned within the housing and separated therefrom so as to define a substantially annular flow path between the body and the inner wall. The housing is rotationally stationary, and the body is rotatable relative to the housing about a rotational axis, the body comprising an impeller section having a first set of blades extending from the body into the annular flow path towards the inner wall of the housing, the impeller being rotatable for generating airflow through the apparatus and for generating swirl within the airflow, and a turbine section located downstream of the impeller section, the turbine section having a second set of blades for recapturing rotational energy from the airflow.

A vacuum cleaner disclosed that includes a cyclone dust collector. The vacuum cleaner includes a cyclone chamber configured to whirl air introduced from an inlet part to separate dust from the air and including an outlet part provided to discharge the air from which dust is separated from the cyclone chamber. The vacuum cleaner also includes a grill rotatably provided at the outlet part. The vacuum cleaner also includes a rotor including a first fan and a second fan configured to generate an air flow in a direction opposite an air flow direction of the first fan. The vacuum cleaner further includes a case in which the rotor is rotatable accommodated with a gap provided between the grill and the case. The case includes a plurality of holes, and includes a dust removal flow path to discharge air introduced from the plurality of holes through the gap.

A cleaner includes a housing having a hollow inner space, a housing partition configured to divide the inner space into an first space and a second space, first and second communication holes formed through the housing partition to allow the first and second spaces to communicate with each other, an inlet through which air from an outside of the housing is introduced into the second space, an air discharge port through which air in the first space is exhausted to the outside of the housing, a fan arranged in the first space to draw air to the air discharge port, a first cyclone arranged in the second space to guide air to the first communication hole and separate dirt from the air, and a second cyclone arranged in the second space to guide a portion of air to the second communication hole and separate dirt from the air.

An improved process and apparatus for separating organics and inorganics from waste material with a specific object of preparing the separated organic fraction for the production of biogas or other methods for diverting organics from landfills. Waste material, such as municipal solid waste or source-separated organic waste (SSO), is subjected to a first separation treatment that separates organic and inorganic waste components. The apparatus includes a hopper to receive contaminated organic waste from different sources, a vertical separator that separates the inorganics from the organics by creating a vortex effect in a stationary filtration drum by which the solid contaminants (paper, plastic, metals) are blown in a spiral pattern upwards and removed from the top, while the organic fraction is removed from the bottom. Such apparatus is improved through novel methods to reduce or eliminate blockages and their associated downtime, and to increase the efficiency of the separation process.

A method of separating a fluid includes adding a fluid to a canister of a fluid separator. The canister includes first and second barriers disposed concentrically within the canister that define a first and second annulus within the canister, and a canister rotor having a first magnet associated therewith. The method includes rotating an induction base rotor disposed within an induction base. The induction base rotor includes a second magnet. The canister rotor and the induction base rotor are magnetically coupled and rotating the induction base rotor causes the canister rotor to rotate. The method further includes forming a vortex in the fluid via the rotation of the canister rotor, and the vortex causes the fluid to separate into a first component and a second component.

A cyclone filtering device includes first and second filters. The first filter includes a first filtering tube defining a first turbulence room, and has a coupling cover communicated with the first turbulence room and disposed for allowing passage of fluid, and a barrel seat defining a dust collecting room that is communicated with the first turbulence room. The second filter includes a second filtering tube defining a second turbulence room that is communicated with the first turbulence room, two end covers having an end opening that is communicated with the second turbulence room, and a capture member disposed in the second turbulence room and disposed for capturing substances that are entrained in the fluid.

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.

According to the present invention there is provided a separation device for separating a fluid, said fluid comprising multiple components, into at least two components comprising: a support structure; at least one conduit mounted on or within said support structure for rotation about an axis; at least one inlet for introducing a flow of said fluid into said at least one conduit; and at least one outlet for outputting at least one of said components therefrom; wherein the said at least one conduit is configured such that, in use, when said flow of said fluid is applied thereto, said conduit is thereby caused to rotate on or within said support structure about said axis, thereby separating said fluid into at least two components.