Numerical modeling of body shape effect on the performance of a square cyclone separator

Abstract

This study aims to determine the effect of a square cyclone body shape on the performance of a square cyclone separator. To achieve this goal, four square cyclone separators with square lengths 0, 1, 2, and 3 times the hydraulic diameter of the cyclone body were considered. The simulation of the gas-solid flow was carried out using the Euler-Lagrange approach, while the gas flow was modeled by Navier–Stokes equations and the Reynolds stress turbulent model (RSTM), and the injected solid particle was solved using the Newton equation. The pressure drop, separation efficiency, and flow pattern were investigated to evaluate the performance of square cyclone separators. The results revealed that the pressure drop and separation efficiency decreased as the relative square length increased. In the case with a lower relative square length, the vortex core penetration is less than that in the other cases, which leads to a decrease in the entrainment phenomena and separation efficiency enhancement. At an inlet velocity of 16 m/s, an increase in the relative square length from 0 to 3 reduced the pressure drop by approximately 35%. At an inlet velocity of 24 m/s and a particle diameter of 8 µm, with an increase in the relative square length from 0 to 3, the efficiency decreased from 88.7 to 77.4%.