A New Type Of Efficient Dust Separator ?

[Greeny]

Great find, that looks really interesting!
There is some good info in the patent images at http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US8337580
(didn't want to post 'em as unsure of copyright, but they are available to download from above link)
Although it's patented for commercial applications, from the comments on the video, the designer seems to encourage homemade versions.

I'm pretty sure it works in the same broad manner as other cyclonic dust extractors, but with the addition of the dome lid & separating plate which appears to increase it's dust collecting efficiency.
Heres how i think it works. (Could be way wrong )
The shop vac creates a negative pressure in the dust collect collector this 'sucks' dust in throught the inlet, the rapidly moving dust then wants to travel in a straight line but cannot because of the circular shape of the lid.
it is forced to move in a circular motion around the lid. from the point of view of the dust it has a massive centrifugal force acting outwards pressing it against the inner surface of the lid. because the lid is dome shaped this also forces the dust downwards to drop
through the gap around the edge of the plate, into the bin. (Gravity gives a very small help as well, but it's tiny for very fine dust). presumably the plate that separates the lid from the lower bin helps to stop dust already in the lower bin from getting back up in to the upper chamber and into the shop vac.

Centrifugal force is the outward, so called 'fictitious force', that is 'felt' by rotating objects, in this case the dust.
However if you look at it from the bins point of view, it is exerting an inward, centripetal force, forcing the dust to travel in a circle around the lid.
So either Centrifugal or Centripital force can be used to explain it. They are very different, but also very closely linked. (They both arise from objects moving in a curved path.)


Been a long time (years!) since my last post. Arrived and asked a lot of questions then disappeared!
Just finishing off my Shed/Workshop & hopefully will be posting a real build soon, and also very keen to try and have a go at making one of these too.

Cheers