After reading lots of posts here and seeing the questions that are repeatedly asked, perhaps a new thread with a layman's explanation of how a cyclone functions might be helpful. After lots of research over the years, I have come to understand this is how a cyclone works. I hope the real experts can weigh in and correct any mistakes I make.
Here is a simple diagram of a cyclone like we use in a home woodworking shop. The dust laden air is drawn in by vacuum and enters on the right. The entry is not in the center of the cyclone, but offset all the way to one side of the cyclone body. The air follows the inside wall of the cyclone and begins to spin. As it spins, being heavier than the air, the dust is forced to the outside. The dust starts to be drawn down by gravity and follows the cone. Just like when a skater pulls in her arms and spins faster, the dust is kept to the outside of the cone and spins faster as the cone narrows, taking even lighter particles with it. Finally the dust drops into the bin at the bottom by gravity. The air slows toward the bottom of the cone, reverses flow, and is drawn up through the center tube. As the air slows and starts back upward, it drops more dust. Finally, the air passes through the blower and out to the filter, shown on the left side. Hopefully, the filter catches the finest particles that make it through the cyclone and exhausts clean air back into the room. Venting to the outside instead of a filter is often mentioned here. Just picture the pipe into the filter going outside with no filter on it.
I've tried to skip most of the more exact physics discussion in favor of the simplest explanation.
Cyclone diagram.jpg
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