Hi Bill , not sure what size engine you have on your 4 wheeler , i run a 13hp inverter generator pretty much flat out non stop for around 4 hours and i use a drop filter tank with some polyester fiber in it that helps hold back most the fine dust , i throw that away after every 2 or 3 runs , and i have a inline filter that looks a lot like the ones you use but maybe mine is a little larger in size inside the body once unscrewed is a plastic fine filter housing that i put a bamboo sock over to help clean even more dust out and its been working like a charm for years now .
But i guess because your going down the road the bumps and all will make a lot more dust out of the charcoal so have a look for a pool or spa filter housing , i have bought several over the years and they also work great once dirty swap with a clean one and wash the old one out in water ready for next time .
PS, lambs wool works the best for filters if you get hold of the 100% woolen socks they work good too .
Dave
Good ideas. Thank you. The good thing about building one’s own system is it can be altered to try new things to see what works.
People said the cyclone i used for my atv was too big that i got from @sabbadess . I’m not contesting that. I installed it in hopes of cooling the gas down before the filters. Well, I made another one but smaller. It’s 4"x13". I wanted to use the dust collecting container from Stephen’s cyclone, so I took it off and it had a surprising amount of charcoal dust in it. It was about ½ full. Now I’m wondering if the one I made is too small. I guess I won’t know until I try.
I guess it just depends on the CFM you’re usually operating the engine at. I’m sure the bigger one is better at a higher RPM.
Edit: I remember seeing a lot of videos on YouTube of guys with two, three Cyclones. That’s a lot of invested time in a pre-filter if you ask me and I’m sure that would really fudge up flows.
Dutch John gave me a spreadsheet once. I have to look for it if you are interested. Roughly the air speed is around 25 m/s (55 mph). That determins inlet D, cycloon is 3D, innertube 2D. Works ok, I tried it a few times with wooddust and last weekend with a liquid cyclone. So, yours looks ok. Speed wont be 25 m/s, so outer D is ok. If you have the innerpipe into the cyclone it helps spinning.
Joep, 25m/s is quite a high speed, it certainly emits dust particles, but such a speed represents a significant drop in pressure, in the above link you can read the data 11m/s from the table of Eddy Ramos
Yes it is, in my job we calculate with this speeds. 11 m/s is quite low. The beauty in my work, it is never black and white but always grey. 25 is quite high, maybe white, 11 is quite low, maybe black. Stay in the grey😃. Will a cyclone still work with these low speed?
Edit
Bill Pentz is the spreadsheet I was talking about. Cant find speeds at the moment, but 11 m/s is for sure way to low
Yes it does. A good reason to not use a cyclone like some do.
I found your calculation. From 5,5 l/ s in one inch pipe to 11 m/s. I really think you just can leave it out at that speed. Doesnt contribute anything.
Steve Bowman had a post where he talks about 3000 ft/min= 16 m/s. More like it, still a little low.
Today in my work ,installations only are allowed to pass 0,02 mg/m3 particles. If you use a cyclone, you still need a filter afterwards. So no cyclones anymore just filters. Unless you want a pre-separator for some reason. The price you pay for that is pressure loss. That are the physics of a cyclone😪
Mr Bill, taking another look at your hopper and the char from your Jacob cyclone. It can only get sucked in if you hit bumps or something. Isnt it easier to secure that? Some metal screen on top of the fuel in the hopper? I dont think G Gilmore sees this stuff in his cyclone?
Joep, this is the expert’s explanation of the cyclone that we amateurs are looking for. Thank you very much. For now, I’m sticking to a filter made of fine hay combined with fine wood shavings, … small pressure drop and huge filter surface.
Yes, exactly what Mr Wayne suggested in that other topic and one of the strong points in a WK compared to Imbert ( according to Dutch John)
Looks like the ticket!
I love the simplicity, and some mighty fine welding on the thin stuff!
Now I’m kind of worried about having a cyclone. I guess the next ride will tell me what i need to know.
Are you all saying take out the cyclone and just use this filter or something similar? I feel this filter will already be too small.
I’d say leave the cyclone in and see if it causes too much drag on the gas. Can’t hurt to experiment a little.
Just leave it as is and give it a run. You could even add wood chips in the filter ammo box for extra filtering if you feel you need more filting media. The cyclone will help cool the gases down. If it runs good go with what you have done. Very nice build Bill.
Bob
Well, the test drive didn’t go as well as I hoped it would. I wonder if the canvas is to restrictive. That will be the easiest change to see if it breathes easier. I have a piece of wool I can use in place of the canvas. If that doesn’t work, I will reinstall the bigger cyclone and see if I can get back to where it was before.
My bag material I used wasn’t that tight. It was like a carpetbag upholstery material. Try an old towel or a cheap dollar store towel.
Bill, l test my filters by blowing in the filters intake, if l feel any resistance by the air bouncing back on my lips l know l need to change things.
Thick bathing towels work great as sacks.