Influence of taper angle on the inner field and separation performance of a hydrocyclone

Abstract

ABSTRACT Taper angle is an important factor for characterizing a hyrocyclone’s separation performance. Appropriate setting of the taper angle can contribute to particle grading and separation performance of the hydrocyclone. Through numerical analysis, this study investigated the flow fields and separation performances of the hydrocyclones with different taper angles in depth. Moreover, the numerical simulation results were compared with experimental data of the conventional hydrocyclone for accuracy validation. The results showed that the tangential velocity, axial velocity, and the diameter of air core increased with the increasing taper angle. At a too large or a too small taper angle, the inner flow field would become unstable, thereby leading to the increasing number of dislocated particles and reducing the particle separation precision. For the hydrocyclone with a diameter of 75 mm, the separation precision of fine particles can be remarkably enhanced by setting the taper angle of 15°, accompanied with the improvement of product quality. The present data can provide the related enterprises with favorable guidance and a theoretical foundation for further designing the taper angle of novel hydrocyclones.