环流式旋风除尘器内流场的数值模拟

采用 CFD 模拟软件 Fluent 6.2 提供的雷诺应力模型(RSM)对环流式旋风除尘器内的流场进行了数值模拟研究.并与热线热膜风速仪实验测试结果进行了比较.模拟结果与实验结果基本吻合.结果表明:环流式旋风除尘器特殊的流路设计,避免了内外旋涡的相互干扰,增强了旋转速度,规整了流形,减小了强湍流对性能的影响,消除了旋风除尘器易产生的短路流和二次返混,提高了除尘效率,降低了设备的压降.通过对影响除尘器性能的局部涡进行分析,为进一步优化结构提供了参考依据.     

A universal model to calculate cyclone pressure drop

The definition and composition of the pressure drop over a tangential inlet, reverse flow cyclone have been analyzed. It is assumed that two factors mainly contribute to the pressure drop, i.e., the local loss and the loss along the distance. The former includes the expansion loss at the cyclone inlet and the contraction loss at the entrance of the outlet tube (or vortex finder). The latter consists of the swirling loss resulting from friction at the cyclone walls and the dissipation of gas dynamic energy in the outlet tube. By use of the measured results of the flow field in cyclones, the calculation methods for each loss have been developed. And a universal model to predict the cyclone pressure drop is thus obtained simply by summing each loss. A detailed comparison between the calculated and experimental results shows that this accurate model is suitable either for pure or for dust laden gases at normal or high temperatures and can meet the requirement of most cyclone designs.     

并联旋风分离器的旋流稳定性分析

分别选用2台和4台直径300 mm的相同PV型旋风分离器作为分离元件,共用进气管、集气室和排尘室,以中心对称方式组成两种并联分离器,并通过数值模拟比较单分离器与两种并联方案中各分离元件气相流动的特点. 气体介质为常温常压空气,入口气速15~30 m/s. 结果表明,2台或4台并联时各分离元件流量偏差分别不超过0.35%和0.28%,压降最大偏差为0.79%和0.43%,流量分配均匀,灰斗内窜流返混不明显,且4台并联时效果更好. 4台并联时分离元件排尘段的稳定性指数比2台并联或单分离器降低过半,旋流稳定性显著增强. 对称排列的分离元件在公共灰斗中会形成具有自稳定性的对称涡系,对分离元件内旋进涡核的摆动有约束作用,旋流稳定性增强.     

差异旋风分离器并联性能测量及流场分析

通过改变旋向和芯管直径,设计了3种差异旋风分离器,并按中心对称方式组成了3种并联方案：相同分离器、旋向差异分离器和芯管差异分离器并联。在冷态实验装置上,测量了单分离器和并联分离器的性能,并利用FLUENT软件分析了并联分离器的流场。结果表明,并联分离器的效率均高于单分离器,且效率-气速曲线未出现“驼峰”;与相同分离器并联相比,旋向交替变化时并联总压降较小,分离效率也更低,但各分离器流量分配均匀,未发现“窜流”现象;当芯管有差异时,并联总压降增大,各分离器进口流量分配不均匀,且进、出口流量平均相差6.0%,公共灰斗中存在“窜流”,旋流稳定性变差,效率降低。为了保证并联分离器的性能,应采用相同分离器对称并联的方式。     

Numerical and experimental study on the effect of solid particle sphericity on cyclone pressure drop

The continuous flow inside cyclone separator is usually simulated by solving the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations in Eulerian reference frame whereas the dispersed phase is modeled using Lagrangian approach. Although these methods have had a remarkable success, more advanced ideas are needed to model particulate phase in cyclones, especially the non-spherical shaped particles. Numerical simulation is verified with experimental results for the gas-solid flow in a cyclone separator. Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes equations (RANS) employing the RNG-based k–ε turbulence model are used to simulate the gas phase. 3-D particle tracking procedure is used for the solid phase. Three different equations for the drag coefficient are utilized in the numerical modeling to acquire more understanding of the behavior of non-spherical particles in cyclones. Computations resulted in the difference of pressure between the inlet and exit of the cyclone, and results are compared with experimental data. Experiments included measuring the separation efficiency of different shapes and sizes of particles. The results indicate that the CFD simulation can effectively reveal the pressure drop behavior as well as separation efficiency of gas-non-spherical particle flow in cyclone.     

Modeling, analysis and optimization of aircyclones using artificial neural network, response surface methodology and CFD simulation approaches

The pressure drop is an important performance parameter to evaluate and design cyclone separators. In order to accurately predict the complex non linear relationships between pressure drop and geometrical dimensions, a radial basis neural network (RBFNN) is developed and employed to model the pressure drop for cyclone separators. The neural network has been trained and tested by experimental data available in literature. The result demonstrates that artificial neural networks can offer an alternative and powerful approach to model the cyclone pressure drop. Four mathematical models (Muschelknautz method “MM”, Stairmand, Ramachandran and Shepherd & Lapple) have been tested against the experimental values. The residual error (the difference between the experimental value and the model value) of the MM model is the lowest. The analysis indicates the significant effect of the vortex finder diameter D_x and the vortex finder length S, the inlet width b and the total height H_t. The response surface methodology has been used to fit a second order polynomial to the RBFNN. The second order polynomial has been used to get a new optimized cyclone for minimum pressure drop using the Nelder-Mead optimization technique. A comparison between the new design and the standard Stairmand design has been performed using CFD simulation. CFD results show that the new cyclone design is very close to the Stairmand high efficiency design in the geometrical parameter ratio, and superior for low pressure drop at nearly the same cut-off diameter. The new cyclone design results in nearly 75% of the pressure drop obtained by the old Stairmand design at the same volume flow rate.     

循环旋风分离器内流场的数值模拟

采用CFD模拟软件Fluent6．2提供的雷诺应力模型（RSM）对循环旋风分离器内的流场进行了数值模拟研究,并与实验结果进行了比较,模拟结果与实验结果基本吻合。结果表明,循环旋风分离器特殊的流路设计,提高了内部流场的对称性,规整了气流,减少了紊流的产生,降低了设备的压降。时局部涡的分析,为进一步了解循环旋风分离器的分离机制和优化结构提供了参考依据。     

Effects of the Inlet Section Angle on the Flow Field of a Cyclone

The gas flow fields of a cyclone with different inlet section angles have been studied numerically. The gas flow fields were simulated by means of the Reynolds Stress Transport Model (RSTM). The velocities and pressure drop profiles of these cyclones were investigated. The shortcut flow rates at the bottom of the vortex finder were calculated with different inlet section angles. To analyze the relationship between the inlet section angle and the vortex finder insertion deepness, this paper details the shortcut flow rates at the bottom of the vortex finder for three vortex finder insertion depths. The results indicate that the inlet section angle can decrease the shortcut flow from the bottom of the vortex finder, which has practical importance for the improvement of the separation efficiency. The inlet section angle can also decrease the pressure coefficient of a cyclone. When the inlet section angle is 45 °, the level of decrease is up to 30 %. However, the effect of the inlet section angle on the separation performance is related to the dimension of the vortex finder, i.e., the insertion depth and diameter of the vortex finder, and the effect is different when the cyclone has different vortex finder insertion depths.     

Effects of separation space diameter on the performance of a novel reverse flow cyclone

ABSTRACT

A numerical study was carried out to investigate the effect of separation space diameter on the performance of a novel reverse flow tangential inlet cyclone design by using the Eulerian-Lagrangian approach. The design of this cyclone is based on the idea of increasing vortex length and decreasing pressure drop compared with traditional cyclones. This novel cyclone differs from the traditional cyclones with separation space and vortex limiter instead of the conical part. A qualitative numerical study was performed to analyze the effect of separation space diameter on the cyclone performance at different flow rates by evaluating velocity profile, pressure drop, fractional and overall efficiencies. The results show that the collection efficiency of smaller particles increases while pressure drop decreases significantly with the increase in separation space diameter for D₁/D < 0.5.     

Effect of the Solid Loading on a PFBC Cyclone with Pneumatic Extraction of Solids

This paper presents the effects of solid loading on the performance of a cyclone with pneumatic extraction of solids. The cyclone is a non‐conventional design, especially used for hot‐gas cleaning applications such as pressurized fluidized bed combustors (PFBC). A scaled‐down cold‐flow model was employed for the research. Experiments were conducted at 9–14 m/s inlet gas velocities, inlet solid loadings ranging from 30 to 230 g/kg gas, and bottom gas extraction percentages from 0.3 to 1.5%. Experimental results of pressure drop resistance coefficients and collection efficiency were compared with literature predictions. At PFBC operating conditions, cyclone geometry and solid concentration are the main parameters influencing cyclone pressure drop and collection efficiency. The vortex penetration in dipleg causes lower pressure drop values and higher collection efficiencies than predicted. These parameters can be suitably predicted for PFBC cyclones by introducing a modified penetration length in Muschelknautz's model [1]. For the present cyclone design, a new correlation of pressure drop, including the influence of solid loading, is proposed. A new method for detecting cyclone fouling, not previously addressed, is also presented, based on the evolution of the pressure drop resistance coefficient. An enhanced separation efficiency has been found, related to collection efficiency, which is especially important for particle sizes below 10 μm revealing agglomeration effects.     

Function and effect of the inner vortex on the performance of cyclone separators

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. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 4508–4518, 2017     

Effect of a Stick on the Flow Field in a Cyclone and the Pressure Drop Reduction Mechanism

Measurements of the flow field in a cyclone separator with and without a reducing pressure drop stick (Repds) showed that the Repds reduces the peak tangential velocity, the axial velocity gradient, and the radial gradients of static and total pressure and reverses the axial static pressure gradient. These changes reduce the energy consumed by the rotating kinetic energy, the internal friction, the turbulent kinetic energy, and the drag of the negative pressure difference. The results are used to discuss why the separation efficiency remains high while the pressure drop is reduced. The results also show that a 24% "short flow" occurs near the cyclone entrance. Analysis of the changes in the flow field and the pressure drop due to the thin stick shows that the Repds increases the pressure drop in the outer vortex zone and reduces the pressure drop in the inner vortex zone. Therefore the pressure drop reduction with the Repds is due to its wake vortex, which leads to the hypothesis that the pressure drop in turbulent flow can be reduced by adding vortexes.     

锥段长度对微型旋流分离器内流场影响的数值模拟

采用CFD软件FLUENT对3种不同锥段长度的微型旋流分离器中的液相流动规律进行数值模拟.模拟结果表明,随着旋流器锥体长度的增加,旋流器内切向速度降低,径向速度减小,轴向速度增大,压降减小,分流比增大.适当加长旋流器长度可获得较佳的分离性能,然而过分增加旋流器长度,分离性能反而会降低.     

Determining Cyclone Particle Holdup by Pressure Drop for a CFB Boiler

An experimental study was conducted to assess the possibility of determining particle holdup by measuring the pressure drop of a conventional cyclone used in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler. It was found that within a wide range of inlet solid concentrations, i.e., 0.54–4.42 kg/kg‐gas, the cyclone pressure drop increased linearly with inlet solid concentration at a given gas velocity, while the pressure drop between the dust exit and the vortex finder of the cyclone remained almost constant. Since particle holdup increases virtually linearly with solid flow rate, the particle holdup in the cyclone can be derived from the cyclone pressure drop, and therefore, an equation set was proposed to calculate the particle holdup from the cyclone pressure drop.     

Numerical and Experimental Study of Catalyst Loading and Body Effects on a Gas‐Liquid Trickle‐Flow Bed

The influence of tortuosity and fluid volume fractions on trickle‐flow bed performance was analyzed. Hydrodynamics of the gas‐liquid downward flow through trickle beds, filled with industrial trilobe catalysts, were investigated experimentally and numerically. The pressure drop and liquid holdup were measured at different gas and liquid velocities and in two different loading methods, namely, sock and dense catalyst loading. The effect of sharp corners on hydrodynamic parameters was considered in a bed with rectangular cross section. The reactor was simulated, considering a three‐phase model, appropriate porosity function, and interfacial forces based on the Eulerian‐Eulerian approach. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation results for pressure drop and liquid holdup agreed well with experimental data. Finally, the velocity distribution in two types of loading and the effect of bed geometry in CFD results demonstrated that pressure drop and liquid holdup were reduced compared to a cylindrical one due to high voidage at sharp corners.     

Experimental Study of Particle Collection by Small Cyclones

A new set of experimental data on the particle collection characteristics of small cyclones is reported. The collection efficiency for particles ranging from 2 to 10 μm in diameter was measured systematically for nine cyclones at flow rates ranging from 8.8 to 18.4 L/min. Special emphasis was given to the effects of the exit tube size and of the cyclone body size on the particle collection efficiency. The size ratio of the exit tube to the cyclone body was varied from 0.24 to 0.80. The experimental results show that the stiffness of the particle collection cutoff with size does not change noticeably with a change in the cyclone body size while operation of a cyclone at a low flow rate can cause the particle collection characteristics to become less stiff. It was also found that the exit tube diameter influences the particle collection efficiency substantially, with results showing that as the exit tube size is decreased, the collection efficiency increases. A large cyclone body size increases the efficiency. However, when the cyclone body is increased excessively, the collection efficiency appears to decrease somewhat. The experimental data were compared with existing cyclone theories and Barth's (1956) theory was found to be in good agreement. Finally, the exit tube was found to affect substantially the pressure drop of cyclones. As the exit tube size increased, the pressure drop decreased. However, when the exit tube size was further increased until it approached the body size, the pressure drop increased again.     

旋风分离器进口涡旋感生速度场的减阻增效作用

旋风分离器进口段管路的结构关系着进口气速的分配,直接影响到下游分离空间三维速度场的形式,合理设计进口管的样式是挖掘分离器分离潜力的可能入手之处。采用实验及数值模拟手段,对环管和直管2种进口管路下轴对称双进口分离器的性能与流场作了对比研究。结果表明,环管进口的分离器分离总效率比两侧进口的平均高1.5个百分点,而压降损失降低25%以上。前者阻力小的原因在于进口环管内气流为局部的涡旋,与分离器内旋涡流动的形式接近,两股气流交汇时碰撞程度轻,附加的额外能耗较小;而总效率提高的原因为,环管进口的分离器切向速度比两侧进口的分离器约高0.15倍进口气速,能增强颗粒受到的离心作用、减小切割粒径,从而提升分离器总效率。根据涡旋理论,局部区域的涡旋会对整个流动空间产生感生的速度场,由于环管进口的分离器进口管内局部涡旋的存在,整个分离空间的切向速度场被增强。这种由涡旋感生速度场提升分离器切向速度的方式,加深了分离器运行过程中压头向速度转换的程度,不会消耗额外的能量。因此,采用旋涡流的进气方式,并合理提高进口涡旋的强度,是分离器分离性能进一步提升的新途径。     

A CFD study of the effect of cone dimensions on sampling aerocyclones performance and hydrodynamics

This work presents a Computational Fluid Dynamics calculation to evaluate the effects of cone dimensions on the performance, hydrodynamics and centrifugal forces of sampling aerocyclones (gas cyclones). The problem of modeling highly swirling flow is overcome by means of an algebraic turbulence model. The axial and tangential velocities in a cyclone are successfully simulated. The refined mesh on the cyclone cone was also applied to ensure a better prediction on the effect of cone tip diameter to its performance, centrifugal forces and hydrodynamics. The pressure drop, grade efficiency and cut-off size of a cyclone of different cone dimensions was predicted very well with average deviation of about 2.9%, 5% and 2.1% respectively from experimental data presented in the literature. The findings suggest that the higher peak of tangential and axial velocity in a cyclone of a small cone lead to a higher collection efficiency and pressure drop. This helps to assess the benefit of enlarging or reducing the cone of a given cyclone. Results obtained from the computer modeling have demonstrated that CFD is suitable for modeling an effect of cyclone dimension on its performance.     

Flow Characteristics in a Vortex Chamber

In this article we examine confined swirling flows using the integral equations of continuity and energy, along with the minimum pressure criterion. The pressure drop and the core size have been studied in the swirling confined vortex chamber. Both the n = 2 vortex model, with reverse and non‐reverse flow, and the free vortex model have been used at the vortex chamber exit plane. The influence of vortex chamber geometry, such as contraction ratio, inlet angle, area ratio, aspect ratio, and Reynolds number, on the flow field has been analyzed and compared with the present experimental data. The pressure drop across the vortex chamber differs from that in pipe flow, due to the mechanism of swirl flow that depends mainly on the intensity of tangential velocity. If the chamber length is increased, the vortex decays producing a weaker tangential velocity (less centrifugal force) that leads to less pressure drop. Based on the present theory, a new approach to determine the tangential velocity and radial pressure profiles inside the vortex chamber is developed and compared with the available experimental data. It shown that the n = 2 vortex model with reverse flow gives better results for strongly swirling flow.     

Performance of a large-cone-angle hydrocyclone—I: Hydrodynamics

As opposed to “normal” hydrocyclones, large-cone-angle hydrocyclones can be used to separate solids with equal free-fall velocities but with different densities. One of the applications of these cyclones is the recovery of heavy minerals from sand.In order to investigate the hydrodynamical behaviour of such a cyclone the following experiments have been carried out on two cyclones of diferent dimensions: determination of solids distribution at steady state operation; measurement of the residence time distribution of the liquid; pressure gradient and pressure drop measurements.From the experimental results it follows that at the bottom a bed of suspended solids rotates, which more or less seems to be fluidized. Similar to the derivation of an expression of the pressure gradient in a one-phase vortex flow from the Navier-Stokes equation, an expression of the pressure gradient in such a solid-liquid vortex flow has been obtained from two-phase momentum equations. From this theory it follows that in the rotating bed a secondary solids flow has to occur; solids are moving towards the centre at the bottom and away from the centre at the top.