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(Trial 1) DIY Thien cyclone chaff seperator
az erik:
Looking around at the cyclone options and things that mostly wood workers messed with for dust collection I came to an idea that I'm trying to have a go at. The Cyclone (Dust Master) that Susan and others may have sits on top of a 5 gallon bucket. In reality it doesn't need that big of a bucket as all the bucket is for is chaff collection. A mason jar is big enough to catch 5 to 6 lbs worth of roasted coffee chaff. However every Thien seperator (Thien was the professors name) http://www.jpthien.com/cy.htm, seemed to use a 5 gallon bucket or a 30 gallon trash can. Overkill for us. Then I ran into a shop vac, dirt cheap mind you, that uses a 5 gallon bucket for the bottom. Hey 2 birds one stone eh? Nicely this thing is at Lowes so I made a stop there on the way home and picked up this $23 shopvac with far more power than we need. Went home and before starting to cut it appear I ran it with my Variac to make sure I could control it and it not burn out on me instantly. Things appeared good after 5 minutes so I hooked the 1.5 inch hose up to the end of my j pipe and ramped it up to 100%, it removed chaff from my burner! Ok so I'll probably not need any more than 60% but eh I got it.
So here's the victim
Taking it appart is only 6 screws (the 2 on top just screw on a decoration of a motor cover)
Get out my dremel
Cut most of the plastic (I made these cuts and left some as I'd like to still use it as an actual vacuum in my cars at some point) I can place most of this back in with the blue filter thing and still use it I hope)
Fit it back together
90 degree elbow to come later
Moving on to the Thien it's self. Most people actually attached the seperator to the vac, I dodn't want to do that now as I'd like to be able to move the seperator up and down to try for better seperation. So the current plan is to screw the "plate in via the sides of the can. 3 screw holes to patch later if I get it wrong.
This part is a touch harder than it seemed as I thought "just trace out the bottom of the bucket
THen realized that would fall all the way down, so I moved to the top, then figured out somewhere in the middle.
And well that didn't work so I came close and then started cutting. Key to the Thien is there is a 240 degree "notch" around the plate, and where the elbow lines up is the other part. Now most of these pull aire out directly in the middle and rely on wind speed to fling the dust to the outside edge of the bucket, then gravity pulls it down.
I only made it this far and had to stop, more to come as it develops
SusanJoM:
--- Quote from: az erik on February 09, 2015, 01:43:15 PM --- so I hooked the 1.5 inch hose up to the end of my j pipe and
--- End quote ---
Do you think that 1.5" hose could be used where I've got this ??
az erik:
It's questionable as the plastic 1.5 inch pipe probably isn't going to handle 300+ degree air. My plan is to use the current "shop vac hose" as the exhaust hose. I figure it'll cool off inside the bucket and be about 150ish degree on exit. I was going to try to find small flex piping to run from the Huky to the bucket..
SusanJoM:
Well, if anyone finds flexible duct in a 1 1/2" diameter let me know.
In the meantime this 1 1/2" slip joint is at least an improvement on the black sewer connection ;D
SusanJoM:
--- Quote from: wideasleep1 on February 10, 2015, 09:29:51 PM ---I got my aircraft duct..but it's not as 'flexible' as I had planned..
--- End quote ---
Where did you find that ducting? It would still be easier to have something flexible since when I lift the exhaust tube it means tilting the entire cyclone apparatus just a bit.
I'm still loathe to cut into the stove ducting. Call me nervous. (and that's a gas replica of a woodstove; I got tired of sourcing and stacking and hauling wood several years ago). But, the HUKY does not have its own vent out that same back wall.
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