Experimental study on the flow behaviors in a vane-type separator

Abstract

The axial separator for gas-liquid separation receives amounts of attention due to its compact geometry. Since the inlet flow pattern does a significant impact on the separation performance of the centrifugal separator, it is necessary to figure out the flow behavior inside the separator and give some guidance to the practical application. In this paper, a vane-type separator was used to investigate the flow behaviors inside the separator at different inlet flow patterns. Pre-separation is found in the swirler, which is caused by the curving flow channel. Swirling chain flow, swirling intermittent flow and swirling annular flow inside the separation chamber are observed in the experimental range. Besides, the reason for the formation of swirling chain flow is explained. The phenomenon of bubble accumulation can be eliminated by opening the first light phase outlet. Then the effect of first light phase outlet was studied further. Additionally, a multi-stage vane-type separator was tested to study the flow behavior in the two swirl chambers. From the experimental investigation, it is suggested that the vane-type separator would better be applied in high liquid velocity and low gas void fraction condition.