(58a) Experimental and Numerical Study on the Effects of Spiral Guide Vane Turns on Cyclone Performance

Cyclone separators are utilized in a variety of industries to separate solid particles. They are popular because they are low in cost, easily maintained, easily operated, free of moving components, and highly reliable even under extreme working conditions. There are many geometric parameters that impact cyclone performance, but collection efficiency and pressure drop are particularly influential. The inlet geometry is also a crucial parameter, as it controls the initial spiral flows which dominate the flow field inside the cyclone.

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study on a tangential-inlet cyclone separator with different numbers of spiral guide vane turns. Numerical pressure drop results were in close agreement with the experimental data. The spiral guide vane was also found to considerably influence the velocity distribution, turbulence intensity, pressure drop and collection efficiency in the cyclone. A critical value of spiral guide vane turns appeared below or above which there was a marked increase in separation efficiency, pressure drop, and tangential velocity. Compared to a cyclone with zero spiral guide vane turns, the maximal decrease in separation efficiency in the cyclone with the critical spiral guide vane turn value (one turn) was 2%. The maximum-efficiency inlet velocity appeared to exist independent of spiral guide vane turns, as inlet velocity affects the radial distance traveled by the rebounded particles from the inner wall. The results presented here may provide a workable reference for the effects of spiral guide vanes on the flow field and corresponding performance in cyclone separators.