This month marks the 20-year anniversary of one Weir Minerals’ Cavex hydrocyclone. “When the first Cavex hydrocyclone was introduced, the industry was changed forever,” said Debra Switzer, Weir Minerals global product manager for Cavex hydrocyclones.
In 1996, a team of engineers from Warman International in Australia got together to develop the “next big thing” in hydrocyclones. What they came up with was revolutionary.
The unique inlet geometry removed all sharp angles from the feed chamber, allowing slurry to move through the hydrocyclone smoothly, which greatly reduced wear while increasing its efficiency. The new generation of hydrocyclones easily delivered up to three times the wear life of the old technology. The streamline feed chamber is still in use today.
The Weir Group acquired Warman in 1999 and then in 2010, the company acquired Linatex, which brought with it a range of dewatering hydrocyclones and rubber lining products. This was significant for Cavex hydrocyclones because it enhanced the portfolio and improved the hydrocyclone wear rates.
Last year, Weir Minerals introduced the Cavex 700CVX hydrocyclone, designed specifically to meet the demands of Weir Minerals’ customers and which has been proven to achieve up to 50% higher throughput capacity than other competitor cyclones in the 26-in. diameter range due to its larger inlet and vortex finder configuration.
“Product development never stops at Weir Minerals,” Switzer said. “Over the past two decades, our team of engineers has developed advanced lining technology for ultra-heavy duty applications, to withstand the demands of high volume abrasive materials.”
Today, there are more than 26,000 Cavex hydrocyclones operating throughout the world.
