Industrial Filtration, Separation & Dust Collection worked example

Separator Capacity at 99% separator uptime: a worked example

What does the result look like when separator uptime reaches 99%? The full calculation is worked below with real intermediate numbers. Use it when planning cyclone, coalescer, strainer, centrifuge, oil-water separator, or liquid-solid separator capacity.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Separated fluid volume per cycle: 500 gal / cycle (unchanged)
  • Scheduled separator cycles: 18 cycles (unchanged)
  • Separator uptime: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 90)
  • First-pass separation yield: 94 % (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Gross separator capacity = separated volume per cycle × available separator cycles) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 8,375 gal for accepted separator capacity, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 9,000 gal for gross separator capacity.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 90 gal for separator downtime loss.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 535 gal for first-pass separation yield loss.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where separator uptime sits at 90% and the headline result is 7,614 gal, this scenario comes in 10% above the baseline at 8,375 gal.
  • A figure at this level is achievable when separator uptime is genuinely sustained, not just peaked for a shift. It assumes consistent influent; a slug of emulsified oil or fine swarf can crash first-pass yield well below the modeled value, so confirm yield under worst-case loading.

Results at a glance

  • Accepted separator capacity: 8,375 gal (headline result)
  • Gross separator capacity: 9,000 gal
  • Separator downtime loss: 90 gal
  • First-pass separation yield loss: 535 gal

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Separator Capacity calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.