Study on separation performance of tri-cone water medium cyclone based on CFD

ABSTRACT

The present paper investigated the separation performance of tri-cone water medium cyclone and conducted simulation studies on flow field inside cyclone by ANSYS FLUENT, by comparison with that of single-cone cyclone. The separation mechanism was revealed by analysis of internal pressure distribution, speed distribution, turbulence intensity, and density distribution both in tri-cone and single-cone cyclones. Compared with single-cone cyclone, the density distribution of tri-cone cyclone was clearer: Along the center of the cyclone, the density of particles increased outwardly as the radius increased. Along the axial direction of the cyclone, the density of particles gradually increased from top to bottom for the three cones. By experimental study, the separation performance of tri-cone cyclone was better than that of single-cone cyclone, which was caused by much greater turbulence intensity in tri-cone cyclone in the central gas-phase region of the cone. The air drawn in from the underflow port carried the low-density particles in the inner liquid phase from the overflow port upon upward flow, which can improve the separation efficiency.

KEYWORDS:

• tri-cone water medium cyclone
• numerical simulation
• density distribution
• turbulence intensity

Acknowledgements

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.