Square Cyclone Separator: Performance Analysis Optimization and Operating Condition Variations Using CFD-DPM and Taguchi Method

Abstract

The square cyclone separator is an efficient separation device for high-temperature gas within Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) boilers. Additionally, other operating factors such as particle loading and gas velocity are frequently thought to have considerable influence on fluid flow in gas cyclones, making parameter optimization essential. Finding the most suitable operating configuration can be challenging because of a fundamental understanding of the operating principles, which has yet to be taken into consideration in the literature. The gas flow inside a square cyclone was analyzed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for investigating parameters including particle mass flow rate, inlet velocity, inlet temperature, and turbulent intensity in this research. The Taguchi method was utilized as a Design of Experiment (DoE) methodology to maximize separation efficiency. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was conducted to evaluate the relative contribution of each parameter to the performance of the gas cyclone, while the Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations were solved using the Eulerian-Lagrangian approach to represent particle movement. Also, Discrete Random Walk (DRW) was incorporated to account for velocity fluctuation. According to a Taguchi analysis, particle mass flow rate is the parameter that has the least impact on cyclone performance, whereas inlet velocity has the most contribution. From the different range of factors examined here, it is proved that the optimal levels of factors for inlet velocity, inlet temperature, particle mass flow rate, and turbulent intensity are, respectively, 20 m/s, 300 K, 180 g/min, and 4%.