PORTABLE CYCLONE SEPARATOR
FRANK JOHN HOLMQUIST
SUMMARY A proven technology in limited use by the Navy can be improved and adapted to both government and civilian uses. The benefits of a new and improved Portable Cyclone Separator are extremely valuable, since the is potential uses are nearly unlimited. The ability of firefighters to contain/recover fuel spills in a timely fashion with small portable devices will not only spare the environment but also save lives. Using the device as an air cleaner will prolong engine operations in dusty atmospheres, reduce maintenance and extend engine life. It also is useful as a sandblast media recovery device. It could become a universal bulk handling device to be used by small businesses/farmers/ranchers for product packaging and handling. Besides jobs created in the production of these devices by minimal skilled labor, additional jobs will be created by end users in ways still to be developed.
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION The Portable Cyclone Separator is a material handling device placed between a vacuum cleaner and the source of the material to be vacuumed up to prevent the filter from clogging up and protect the machine from damage. It deposits the material, wet or dry into either a sample bottle for analysis or directly into the container/drum that the material will be shipped and buried in. It is currently in use by the Nuclear Navy for asbestos and nuclear waste handling and volume reduction.
TECHNICAL MILESTONES Improvements are needed to reduce the size/height of the existing unit, increase visibility , increase material flow through clearances to accept larger diameter objects, and with the proper selection of material to resist chemical and thermal degradation. Such changes will increase the utility of the device so that a greater variety of end users will result in more safe and efficient recovery of hazardous waste.
STEP #1 SET UP SHOP, ORDER TOOLS AND MATERIAL
STEP #2 DESIGN/DRAFT PROTOTYPE CHANGES
STEP #3 MAKE TOOLING, WORKHOLDING FIXTURES
STEP #4 MACHINE COMPONENTS AND ASSEMBLE PARTS
STEP #5 TEST ASSEMBLED CYCLONE(S), MODIFY, RE-TEST
STEP #6 MAKE ACESSORY FOR BAGGING/PACKAGING
STEP #7 DELIVER WORKING MODEL(S) TO LOS ALAMOS
FOR INDEPENDENT TESTING/CERTIFICATION
ANTICIPATED ADVANCES IN COMMERCIAL READINESS The existing Portable Cyclone Separator is only available to the Nuclear Navy for about $850/each. The original has been used by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in their Vacu-scaler decontamination system since 1989. Other models are usually much larger or much smaller and are not compatible with most shop vacuums currently available/in-use today. Further development in tooling and design will reduce costs for general use and those units individually tested and certified can still be made available for hazardous waste handling with safety and liability requirements met.
PRODUCT ADVANCES The improved device, which is a combination of several types of separators once built, tested, modified as necessary, and certified safe and reliable will provide a new human scaled technology to mate with existing shop vacuums and standard drum sizes whether they are standard vacuums or special hazardous material handling type. The availability at a reasonable price of a new tool in the modern shop’s arsenal of tools will reduce costs, increase efficiency and reduce the volume of waste generated by keeping vacuums and filters clean and free of obstruction, extending their useful life and reducing maintenance.
MARKET ANALYSIS The current market is limited due to costs and size of cyclones. The new improved portable cyclone separator with the addition of bagging and bottling attachments can also transport animal feed, food stuff for remote dispensing and packaging by small enterprises using ordinary shop vacuums as well as hazardous waste, environmental recovery and recycling operations. It would become a universal bulk handling device to be used by small businesses/farmers/ranchers for product packaging, animal feeding, automation, waste recovery, spill response, material segregation/recycling and environmental sampling/clean-up using existing, off-the-shelf vacuum cleaners, these applications will expand the market both locally and nationally.
MANAGEMENT TEAM During the prototyping, testing and certification phase the owner/operator of Tulip Technologies will be the primary responsible party with assistance of book-keeping services to be hired on a part time basis. When the improved design is ready for commercialization, professional managers, production workers, office and salespersons will be hired as needed.
BENEFIT TO REGION In addition to the resulting jobs created by a company producing these devices, the reduction of volume and costs in handling and disposing of hazardous wastes, the portability and utility or the device will result in faster clean-up when spills occur. The potential adaptation by end users for small economically disadvantage business such as small farmers and ranchers will permit them to compete in the market place with larger companies. Companies involved in the mixing and making of batch products will find the dispensing utility valuable as a labor and time saving device.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Current temporary facilities in Espanola are too small to utilize the $30,000 (+) resources in Shop equipment and tools well as $15,000 (+) in Stock material currently in storage. TULIP TECHNOLOGIES intends to remain in the area but at larger facilities.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Designing, Drafting, Machining services will be provided by Tulip Technologies as necessary. Legal issues such as rights and liabilities must be addressed before full production can begin.
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