| abstract |
A particle separation device 8 comprises a particle separation member 10 having a plurality of conical cavities 12 each having a narrow open end 16 and a wide open end 14 suitable for separating particles from liquid, a fluid distribution member 70 suitable for distributing the liquid to the cavities, an entry channel located outside a chamber of a particle collection member 30, a fluid guiding member 50, a vortex finder 80 disposed in each cavity with a skirt portion (fig 5, 82) and a distal end (fig 5, 84) having a reduced wall thickness, a particle separation member integrally formed with a plurality of voids used as cavities and the entry channel, and with walls formed between the voids. The wide end of the cavities may comprise a cylindrical extension locating the skirt portion within and the vortex finder distal end may have an inclined surface. The particle separation, fluid guiding and particle collection member may have a pressure or PH sensor located within and be made from thermally stable transparent/translucent plastics materials wherein the surfaces are modified with polymers from the group fluorodecyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes and reinforced with mica particles, glass fibres or carbon micro and nano-fibres. |