Investigation on the performance of cyclone separator using computational fluid dynamics and experimental approach

Abstract

The cyclone separators are used as pollution control equipment in newlinemechanical engineering and chemical engineering industries for separating newlinethe particulates from the gas stream. Several studies have been conducted in newlinepast decades for predicting its performance by theoretical, experimental and newlinenumerical methods. In this investigation, six works are done to study the newlineperformance of the cyclone in terms of cut-off diameter, collection efficiency newlineand pressure drop. The Design of Experiments and optimization techniques newlinehave been employed in this investigation for modifying the geometrical newlineparameters. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and experimental newlineapproaches have been applied to predicting the performance.Initially, a Venturi type inlet has been connected with the tangentialinlet of the cyclone separator for developing the mathematical model. The pressure drop and cut-off diameter have been predicted theoretically by newlinestandard mathematical equations for this mathematical model. After that, the newlineResponse Surface Methodology has been utilized for modifying the newlinegeometrical parameters of that mathematical model. Three parameters are newlineconsidered to reduce the pressure drop, namely, Venturi inlet width, Venturi newlineinlet length and outlet diameter. In Response Surface Methodology, the Box- newlineBehnken method has been applied to create the design matrix. The pressure newlinedrop is computed for the design mixtures existing in the design matrix. The newlineobjective function is fitted based on that design matrix and response newlineparameter for the optimization. The Genetic Algorithm has been employed for newlineoptimization of that generated objective function. newline newline