Experimental Studies of Dust Suction Irregularity from Multi-Cyclone Dust Collector of Two-Stage Air Filter

The necessity of two-stage (multi-cyclone-baffle) inlet air filters used for motor vehicle engines operating under dusty conditions was demonstrated. The advantages of a set of several dozen cyclones (multi-cyclone) used for filtering inlet air in the engines were shown. The problem of dust accumulation separated by the cyclones in the multi-cyclone dust collector and the necessity of its removal on a current basis were analyzed. Methods of removing dust from the dust collector by means of the QS suction flow were described. It was demonstrated that the most rational method of forcing the suction flow is the use of the suction flow released from the engine. The study results are presented in this paper and show that the removal (by suction) of the accumulated dust from the dust collector additionally causes a noticeable increase in cyclone filtration efficiency. It was shown that the effective suction flow must not exceed 10–15% of the outlet flow value from the cyclone. It was evidenced that the suction of dust from the dust collector of the multi-cyclone, whose range covers several dozen cyclones, causes a differentiation in the value of the suction flows from the individual cyclones, which decreases the effect of suction and interferers with the proper operation of the cyclone. The use of a proprietary methodology, an experimental study of the irregularity of the suction from the cyclones of two multi-cyclones differing in construction, was performed. Suction flows from the cyclones, which were located at a significant distance from the main suction duct, showed 50% lower values. Possibilities of reducing the irregularity of the suction flows from the several dozen cyclones forming the multi-cyclone are presented.