Huky 500 & Cyclone

Discuss roast levels and profiles for espresso, equipment for roasting coffee.
Ziv Sade
Posts: 58
Joined: 11 years ago

#1: Post by Ziv Sade »

Hi all,

I have the Huky 500 for a year now and I am very pleased with the results. I mastered the roaster really we'll and I know to operate it like it is part of myself.

The last few days I started thinking about adding a cyclone to it in a similar way to what Susan did (a member of this forum). What I really want to know is what the contribution of the cyclone to collect the chaff as opposed to using the Huky's fan as a stand alone.

I will explain myself - as I see it in order for the cyclone to pull the chaff from the drum, he need some vacuum power and that is exactly what the fan does - so why does a cyclone will work better than the stand alone fan?

SJM
Posts: 1819
Joined: 17 years ago

#2: Post by SJM »

Ziv Sade wrote:Hi all, so why does a cyclone will work better than the stand alone fan?
I should point out that although I have it set up this way I have no idea if it works better than anything at all.

My reason for exhausting the Huky out the top of the cyclone ( the exhaust fan is up there) was to avoid running vent pipe from the table to the floor out the door.

What I do know is that any/all chaff is at the bottom of that 3 gallon bucket under the cyclone. I have no idea where it goes with the traditional set up.

Susan

SJM
Posts: 1819
Joined: 17 years ago

#3: Post by SJM »

Ziv, where does your chaff go?

SJM
Posts: 1819
Joined: 17 years ago

#4: Post by SJM »

The fan up on top of the cyclone is controlled by the Variac. I did some re-arranging of the fan itself, removing the plate and putting it on the other side so that it is drawing upwards but there is a cover on top so that there is no risk of my putting my hands in there while it is spinning. What you can't see under the foil is that the second funnel is there with the second sieve upside down over it, and the fan sitting on top of that. It was pretty unstable until I added the foil tape.


And, yes, that black flexible coupling comes from the plumbing department....:-((((

As for air flow profiles? Sorry, I'm too new at this to be much help, except that I always keep a minimum of 26% pulling through.

Ziv Sade (original poster)
Posts: 58
Joined: 11 years ago

#5: Post by Ziv Sade (original poster) »

Hi Susan

As to your question the answer is simple their is a sieve that sit on top of the fan and inside the sieve there is a funnel. The fan draw's air from the drum and with the air it draw the chaff which is than collected in the sieve instead of going to the cyclone like in your setup. What I am asking is if the vacuume that pulling the chaff from the drum is due to the fan or due to the cyclone. If it is due to the fan - than the only advantage of the cyclone is the collection of the chaff to the bucket instead of the sieve, but it is the same chaff removal level.

edtbjon
Posts: 251
Joined: 9 years ago

#6: Post by edtbjon »

Just wondering Susan (if I may chime in...), do you let the smoke go directly out in your kitchen or is this just a photo setup? My smoke alarm goes off way before I have finished a single roast on my Gene ½pound roaster, hence I use a pipe out the window...
(I was quite inspired by your setup and have ordered an extra straight exhaust pipe from mr Li along with my Huky, now in the making.) Living in Sweden, finding a small cyclone locally was impossible (except for spending $125 for the only product available on the swedish market...), so alibaba came to my rescue. ~$30 for a small cyclone (worldwide shipping included) and I think I can source a suitable empty bucket somewhere. :)
The concept of cyclone dust collection is old and well known and as far as I know, there are no patents issues with them. Just go ahead and use them for whatever you like. Still I have only seen it used in a few some professional carpenter workshops (in Sweden that is). Most dealers seem to prefer to sell their ordinary shop vacuum cleaners where the filters clog up after a few minutes.

Btw, I don't think that the cyclone is better or worse than the standard setup, except for one thing. (There is a chance for a few percent of the dust to carry on through the exhaust, but that can be sieved/filtered away.) With a cyclone you will have the same airflow, even if you don't empty the chaff from the bottom bucket for several roasts. With the standard sieve, airflow will be hampered even at the end of the first roast. That is the way it's constructed and will be part of the profile of a roast, but it will play up if you don't empty the sieve after the roast. I don't know if this is anything to be bothered about, unless you forget to empty the sieve for a couple of roasts or so. The practical aspect of it is rather in where you have your roaster set up. If (like my planned setup) you have it in your kitchen, setting up with a cyclone takes more time and occupies more space. But it for sure looks advanced and very cool. 8)

SJM
Posts: 1819
Joined: 17 years ago

#7: Post by SJM »

Ziv Sade wrote:Hi Susan
What I am asking is if the vacuume that pulling the chaff from the drum is due to the fan or due to the cyclone.
The cyclone is inert.
Any draw is due to the fan.
edtbjon wrote:Just wondering Susan (if I may chime in...), do you let the smoke go directly out in your kitchen or is this just a photo setup?
That picture is the actual roasting room, BUT it is in a cottage that used to be a rental and is no longer occupied except by my cat. And, so far the weather has been such that I have been comfortable with the doors and windows being open too. I've been advised that the room will definitely suffer from smoke damage over time; if I were living there I would find some way to vent the smoke outside.

string bean
Posts: 23
Joined: 10 years ago

#8: Post by string bean »

edtbjon wrote: (I was quite inspired by your setup and have ordered an extra straight exhaust pipe from mr Li along with my Huky, now in the making.)
I'm looking to order a Huky soon and was wondering how much extra does he charge for the extra straight exhaust pipe?

edtbjon
Posts: 251
Joined: 9 years ago

#9: Post by edtbjon replying to string bean »

$70...

Just a tip on cyclones. The price for the one Susan uses on *bay is $129. The prices for similar ones in Sweden are in the same range. As I thought that is way too much for some pieces of plastic, I searched a bit more and have ordered one from China where it was some $16 plus about the same in shipping. Just attach it to any bucket and you are there at about 1/4 of the domestic version cost.
There are no patents or such to worry about. The ones on *bay (and in Sweden) are most certainly made in China and imported in container amounts (i.e. a couple of dollars per unit). Well, final thought is that I rather spend those $90 I saved on the cyclone on good coffee greens. :)

(I was thinking about linking this piece of info from another post, but I recon I have to learn the editing window a little better... :) )

fox65
Posts: 9
Joined: 12 years ago

#10: Post by fox65 »

edtbjon wrote: ...The price for the one Susan uses on *bay is $129. The prices for similar ones in Sweden are in the same range. As I thought that is way too much for some pieces of plastic, I searched a bit more and have ordered one from China where it was some $16 plus about the same in shipping. )
I think $129 is for metal cyclone, not for the plastic one. Would the hot air from the roaster melt the plastic?

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