Preliminary Tests On Fluid-Dynamic Features and Plastic SeparationFeasibility of a Hydraulic Separator

摘要

Recycling of plastic materials is a rapidly developing discipline because of environmentalawareness, need to conserve materials and energy, and growing demand to increase productioneconomy. This paper presents a new research development for recycling industry: the multi-duneseparator. This is a simple device constructed from a sequence of closed parallel cylindrical tubeswelded together in plane. The complex is sliced down its lateral mid-plane and the lower complexis shifted laterally and fixed relative to the upper complex. Flow is then induced in the lateraldirection normal to the axis of the tubes creating a main flow channel and two recirculation zones.The flow field in the multi-dune separator is studied via Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV).Eulerian analysis of the data is performed to gather information about the fluid dynamics featuresestablished by different loading conditions.Preliminary tests on monomaterial samples have been performed choosing several operativeparameters. The best operative conditions have been determined. Therefore, separation tests havebeen executed on composite samples, obtaining satisfactory results in terms of plastic separationfeasibility.