Sand separator

A sand separator is a device that separates sand or other solids from water.

One version of sand separator utilizes centrifugal force to separate sand or other heavy particles out of the water. The separated material drops down into a tank or reservoir where it can be removed later or in the case of in-well separators, the separated sand drops into the bottom of the well. It is not a true filter, since there is no physical barrier to separate out the particles, but it is often used upstream of a filter to first remove the bulk of the contaminant, where the filter does the final cleaning. This type of design reduces the time required to flush and clean the filter.