Innovatech has developed a novel means for separating fine particles from a fluid stream that offers significant advantages over conventional filtration/separation technology in many industrial applications. A NovaFilter™ is a centrifugal device that uses boundary layers of air and controlled vortex flows to separate particles from a gas/liquid, and does not employ barrier filter media that can clog or blind. A NovaFilter™ offers high efficiency, constant performance (flow and pressure) and maintenance-free operation. A NovaFilter™ can be employed as a filter (separating particles from a gas/liquid), as a fine particle collector (product recovery) or as a particle classifier (separation by size/density).