CFD Study of Novel Vortex Finder Pressure Drop Holes to Enhance Cyclone Separators Performance

Abstract

Abstract Gas cyclones are widely employed for the removal of dust and suspended particles from gases, but they encounter challenges related to pressure drop (ΔP) and separation efficiency (η Sep ). In addressing these issues, this study explores the impact of incorporating vortex finder pressure drop holes (VFPDH) in various configurations—single column, double columns, three columns, and four columns of holes—each column containing 15 holes. These holes are positioned equally distributed in clockwise order in the z-y plane starting from positive z to negative y-axis equally distributed. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses were conducted on 15 cases through different configurations, considering steady flow, isothermal properties, and incompressible turbulent flow with 8.809 m/s inlet velocity. The introduced modifications, involving the strategic use of VFPDH, lead to a significant reduction in (ΔP). Specifically, the single column of holes exhibited a remarkable 21% reduction in pressure drop compared to the case without holes. In contrast, the case with four columns of holes achieved a more modest 1.8% reduction. This underscores the substantial influence of VFPDH on the pattern of flow and overall gas cyclones performance. The study provides valuable insights into optimizing gas cyclone design for enhanced efficiency and reduced (ΔP), contributing to advancements in industrial dust and particle separation systems.