| Abstract: | 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. |
