Performance improvement of a cyclone separator using spiral guide vanes with variable pitch length

摘要

The present study proposes a new design to improve the performance of a cyclone separator by placing a spiral guide vane with variable pitch length in its cylindrical section. The first pitch length varies in the range of L = 40-160 mm, and spiral guide vane turns are 0.5-3. Three-dimensional simulations are performed using ANSYS FLUENT software when the Reynolds stress model and Eulerian-Lagrangian particle tracking approach are utilized to collect particles with a diameter range of 0.1-13 mu m. The results show that the guide vane has a pivotal effect on the flow field, erosion rate, and performance of the cyclone. It is found that the cyclone with a 0-turn guide vane can separate 7-mu m particles, while the cyclone with L = 40 mm and a 3-turn guide vane can collect 2.45 mu m particles with 100 collection efficiency. As the pitch length increases, fewer particles are captured for a certain amount of spiral guide vane turns. The results demonstrate that the maximum erosion rate corresponds to a 3-turn spiral guide vane when L = 40 mm. However, the amount of erosion rate of the cyclone with higher L is less than that of the cyclone with a 0-turn guide vane.