Design of Inlet Diameter of Hydrocyclone Based on Stable Flow Field

doi:10.12068/j.issn.1005-3026.2021.07.014

Abstract

Abstract: There are no definite evaluation criteria for the optimum size of inlet diameter of hydrocyclone yet. Effects of inlet diameter on flow field characteristics and separation performance are investigated numerically. A theoretical design method of the inlet diameter based on the inner stable flow field was proposed. The results show that the lower limit of the inlet diameter can be determined based on energy consumption. When the inlet diameter is less than the lower limit， the collision between fluids is more severe， and part of the pressure energy is converted into the internal energy. Consequently， the outer free vortex region presents a characteristic similar to the forced vortex. The upper limit of the inlet diameter can be achieved according to the stable flow field. When the inlet diameter exceeds the upper limit， the feed stream will directly impinge on the vortex finder， causing poor flow field stability. As a result， the recovery of coarse particles in the underflow will decrease sharply and the separation sharpness will also decrease. Finally， the optimal range of the inlet diameter is determined as 0.18D≤D_i≤0.26D.

Key words: hydrocyclone; inlet diameter; optimum design; stable flow field; computational fluid dynamics(CFD)

CLC Number:

TD91

CUI Bao-yu， MA Cong-yu， SHEN Yan-bai， SONG Zhen-guo. Design of Inlet Diameter of Hydrocyclone Based on Stable Flow Field[J]. Journal of Northeastern University(Natural Science), 2021, 42(7): 1005-1011.

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