(58b) The Effect of Temperature on Flow Field in a Cyclone Separator By Numerical Simulation

Qing Wei^a,b; Guogang Sun^a,b,*; Yunnan Jiao^a,b

^aState Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China

^bBeijing Key Laboratory of Process Fluid Filtration and Separation, Beijing 102249, China

Corresponding author: Guogang Sun; Tel: +86-10- 89734820;

E-mail:ggsunbj@163.com

Abstract: Temperature is one of the most important parameters for the performance of a cyclone separator. In this study, a computational fluid dynamics is used to predict the flow field in a volute cyclone separator using the Reynolds stress transport model when temperature ranges from 293 K from 1223 K. The numerical results are compared with the experimental data and good agreement is observed. The results show as temperature increases, the tangential velocity and radial velocity of cylindrical and the conical sections decrease, but axial velocity remains almost to be the same. The temperature increase results in a decrease of the tangential velocity along the axial height, and the amplitude of velocity fluctuation. Meanwhile the inner vortex size is reduced at high temperatures. With temperature increasing, natural vortex length and the frequency of vortex end first decreases dramatically and then remains essentially unchanged after temperature above 823K. The effect of temperature on gas flow is achieved by changing the gas viscosity and density. As temperature increases, Reynolds number decreases with the inlet velocity and dimensions of cyclone separator unchanged, which is the root cause of the flow field changing.

Key words: cyclone separator; temperature; flow field

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