The inner vortex plays a key role in the performance of cyclone separators. To explore the function and effect of the inner vortex in cyclone separators, a series of metal rods and metal blades are inserted in the typical Lapple cyclone separator to reduce the intensity of the inner vortex. First, the changes in general performance of cyclones are measured by experimental methods after insertion of the metal rods and metal blades. The flow field and particle motion are then simulated, respectively, by means of a Reynolds stress model (RSM) and a Lagrangian particle tracking (LPT) model. The results show that when the length of the metal blades is less than the boundary between the inner and outer vortexes, that is, the outer vortex remains unchanged and the inner vortex is destroyed partly, the separation efficiency remains constant and the pressure drop significantly decreases. When the length of the metal blades exceeds the boundary, the inner vortex is completely destroyed, and the outer vortex is significantly damaged, which results in sharp decrease of both the separation efficiency and pressure drop. The results indicate that the inner vortex has a notable effect on the pressure drop and virtually none on the separation efficiency. (c) 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 4508-4518, 2017