Performance characteristics of a small scale cyclone separator operated in different flow regimes

Abstract

The flow pattern, cyclone pressure drop and particle penetration through a sampling cyclone have been studied at a wide range of flow rate 0.22–7.54 LPM using the LES simulations that have been validated based on experimental penetration data. The cyclone performance has been described by three dimensionless characteristics, the Euler number Euoutstat, cut-size ψ50 and slope of the transformed penetration curve κ1. Three main flow regimes and four sub-regimes have been revealed. The effects of the flow rate (Reynolds number) on the dimensionless cyclone performance characteristics have been described and a one-term power series model has been proposed. Additionally, the effect of the aspiration efficiency on the cyclone cut-size has been determined.