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4.3.2 - Impingement Separators

Impingement separators with horizontal or vertical approach flows are normally used if liquid droplets with a very fine range of droplet size have to be separated from the air flow. Impingement separators tend to become blocked and must, therefore, be regularly flushed. With impingement separation, the mist droplets are caused to change direction rapidly whereupon their inertia causes them to collide with a surface, thus separating them form the gas stream. As is generally act or impingement separators represents the method of separation utilised by a very large number of mist separators. This operating principle is applied via e.g. wire mesh, columns filled with media, filters from cotton fibre, felt and many other materials. Impingement separation separates out droplets from within a relatively narrow range of diameters. With vertical impingement, separation is effective for droplets of about 40 microns limiting size, with horizontal approach flow down to about 10 - 20 microns.