Cyclone separators are extensively utilized in gas–solid separation for industrial applications, aerosol monitoring, and air pollution control. They are one of the most significant particle removal tools ideally used in engineering and process operations. Cyclone separators are very easy to construct, operate at a low cost, and perform effectively in extremely hard environments. To carry out an accurate prediction of cyclone separators via CFD methods, a great effort is needed, especially when it comes to validation study! The paper entitled “ Numerical simulation and optimization of fluid flow in cyclone vortex finder” is our lead, and we seek to validate a single case result.

Figure 1: Collection efficiency versus particle diameter in the cyclone separator

Simulation Process

The cyclone separator is initially designed based on the paper’s given dimensional parameters. Employing 121146 polyhedra cells can result in a highly qualified grid. Reynolds Stress 7-equation turbulence model is used to predict flow fluctuations. The Eulerian–Lagrangian computational procedure is used to predict particle tracking in the cyclone. In other words, the Polystyrene particles are tracked by a Lagrangian framework, applied by the Discrete Phase Model (DPM) module. The turbulence fluctuations are random functions of space and time. Here, a discrete random walk (DRW) model is used to evaluate instantaneous velocity fluctuations.

Figure 2: Schematic of the designed cyclone separator

Post-processing

The simulation results for the cyclone separator show an acceptable level of agreement with the published paper, confirming the efficiency of your model. The current simulated collection coefficient of 92.9% (7,669 trapped particles out of 8,250 total) is comparable to the paper’s reported 91% for 3mm diameter particles at a flow rate of 30L/min. This modest variance of 1.9 percentage points falls within an acceptable range of error for such simulations, considering probable variations in model parameters, numerical methodologies, or boundary conditions. The graphic depicts the velocity distribution within the cyclone, as well as the unique spiral flow pattern required for particle separation. Higher velocities (represented by yellow-green colors) are detected near the cyclone’s walls, which is consistent with expected behavior.