Numerical investigation on dynamic characteristics of flow field in cyclone separators with different dust hopper structures

Abstract

The dynamic characteristics of flow field in cyclone separators with different dust hopper structures were studied by coupling Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) and Lagrangian Particle Tracking (LPT) methods. The characteristic frequencies of cylinder section, cone section and dust hopper were calculated as f1 = 53 Hz, f2 = 65 Hz, and f3 = 8 Hz by using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method, respectively. Based on the effects of f3 on the motion of vortex, the separated space was divided into none affected region, weakly affected region, and strongly affected region. The characteristic frequency of dust hopper increased with the decrease of dust hopper diameter, while it was independent of the height. The dust hopper with d = 1.5D (model D3) and h = 1.5D (model H3) can significantly decrease the effect of back-mixing on the motion of inner vortex, which is beneficial to improve the efficiency of cyclone separator.