Bailey-Parks manufactures rugged urethane hydrocyclones (or de-sanders, separators) used extensively in oil & gas drilling applications to separate sand and grit from costly drilling mud for re-use.
Commonly up to 20 hydrocyclones will be grouped together to recover this mud, which is pumped down to the drill bit to cool, lubricate and prevent blow-back of gas that can potentially come to the top of the well when gas pockets are hit in the drilling process. As the bit is used to drill, separators continually remove sand so drilling mud can be used repeatedly.
Hydrocyclones are also used in mining applications to remove particulate from coal, cement, gravel, and various bulk aggregate materials. Additionally, they are used in the scrap recovery of gold, silver, copper and other precious metals from tailing ponds, not previously attained from ore.
Pulp and paper mills require a significant volume of water for operation and pulp generation, and use hydrocyclones as a pre-treatment process to separate sand and debris drawn from nearby river water.