There has never been a single way to clean sand that worked for everyone. Sand, like any other material, comes from many different places and can be found in many different ways. There are also many different kinds of sand washer systems and tools for processing sand. Sand screws, also called “Fine Material Washers,” and cyclones, or a combination of the two, are two common types of systems used in this situation.
The Sand Screws
Sand screws are versatile tools that can be used to both wash and dry sand. Inside a concave tub, one or two screw shafts turn, and each has a set of spiral flights.
The washing part of the machine is at the back, where the feed goes into a pool of water. Particles with more mass sink to the bottom of the washer, while those with less mass float to the top and are flushed out with the water over the three weirs that line the tub’s edges.
The spinning screw shafts push the bigger pieces out of the washer tub and up the slope toward the end, where the water comes out. At the higher discharge point, the sand’s water separates from the material and rushes back toward the washing box’s back, where it overflows the weirs.
Cyclones
Cyclones look like cones and are hollow inside. Near the cyclone’s inlet, the slurry feed material is put in at a certain pressure and volume. Larger particles are thrown or spun to the outer edges of the cyclone by centrifugal forces, where they slowly fall toward the top of the discharge cone. The fine particles and water that are still in the cyclone’s core spin up and move toward the overflow because of the pressure of the slurry of solids that was injected.
What’s different between the two systems?
Sand screws and cyclones are different in what they can and how well they do. Sand screws can remove water from abrasive, coarse aggregate with little wear, but they can’t catch very small particles and are very forgiving of changes in the amount of material put in. Cyclone systems that are the right size are great at collecting small particles, but they are easily damaged by inconsistent input and large contaminants.
When deciding which sand cleaning method is best for a certain job, you should consider what happens to the sand and other particles as they move through sand screws and cyclones. We’ll examine what makes sand screws and separators different and how they work.
Which one should be used to wash sand?
Both sand screws and cyclones have been used to clean sand for a long time. That’s about all they have in common, however. You can choose the best option if you know your end goal and the limits of the gear.
As was already said, sand screws can handle different amounts of sand and size with little output change. They remove the material’s extra water so a conveyor can move it.
When used with a Dewatering Screen, cyclones can collect particles very well, making a dry end product that doesn’t drip, and has very little water.
But a sand screw and cyclone working together is often the best way to get the job done. For example, if your feed has too much silt for a screw to separate it, you could put a cyclone in front of the screw to help it do its job better.
Eagle Iron Works or one of its expert dealers can look at your application to determine if a screw, cyclone, or a combination of the two in series or parallel is best for your production goals.
