Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Separation and Purification Technology

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/seppur

Analysis and optimization of cyclone separators with eccentric vortex T

finders using large eddy simulation and artificial neural network
⁎
Lakhbir Singh Brara, , Khairy Elsayedb
a
Mechanical Engineering Department, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi 835215, India
b
Mechanical Power Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering at El-Mattaria, Helwan University, Masaken El-Helmia P.O., Cairo 11718, Egypt

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: The present study is aimed at exploring the effects of eccentric vortex finder tubes with respect to the cyclone
Cyclone separators axis, as well as to optimize the performance parameters. For this, experiments are designed using Latin hy-
Eccentric vortex finders percube sampling (LHS) plan for different combinations of the two independent variables viz. ex/D and ey/D on a
Large eddy simulation (LES) plane that contains the cyclone roof (with D, the main body diameter; ex and ey, the eccentricity in x- and y-
Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) plan
direction, respectively). The range of both ex/D and ey/D is taken between −0.06 and 0.06. Secondly, large eddy
Artificial neural network (ANN)
simulation (LES) is used to predict the Euler number and Stokes number for different combinations of in-
Surrogate-based optimization (SBO)
dependent variables, and this data is used to train an artificial neural network. The variations observed in the
performance parameters with change in location of vortex finder are significant. Lastly, the optimal data sets are
generated using genetic algorithms – these Pareto front points facilitate the designers to choose the eccentric
locations according to the desired cyclone performance.

1. Introduction
Cyclone separators are static devices that aid in separation of the
dense matter from lighter one due to density difference. The device
harnesses the energy generated out of centrifugal forces – confined
geometry promotes the formation of strong swirl in the fluid-particulate
mixture. Cyclones seek attention in almost every industry that requires
phase separation, dedusting of gases, or classifying the dense phase
matter according to their sizes. They are widely used in food processing
plants, chemical industries, mineral processing plants, iron and steel
industry, wood mill and building material plant (to name a few).
Cyclone separators are preferred over other separation devices due to a
high separation rate, low maintenance cost (due to non-moving me-
chanical parts), design simplicity, ability to operate over the wide range
of temperatures and in extreme environments [1].
Although the physical structure of cyclones is quite simple, the
physics of fluid flow is highly complicated. In reverse flow cyclones, as
in the present case, two vortices appear in the flow –the outer (free)
vortex that swirls down along the outer walls, and the inner (forced)
vortex that is directed up towards the cyclone exit. The latter results
after the flow reversal at cyclone bottom and is known to possess a
complex nature. The angular velocity of vortex core and its complex
(precessing) motion around the cyclone axis is responsible for an in-
creased level of velocity fluctuations in the core region. This, in turn,
affects the dispersion of the discrete phase particles in the flow, and
hence the separation efficiency. Despite several studies reported in the
literature, for instance [2–4], the flow instabilities, pertaining to the
cyclonic flows, and the mechanisms giving rise to such instabilities
could not be completely understood. The deficient knowledge of the
flow physics has restricted the studies – to greater or lesser extent – to
be dependent on optimizing the geometrical parameters.
The research, as in the literature, focused mainly on the effects of
geometrical entities on the performance of cyclone separators. Studies
related to the cone tip diameter have revealed no remarkable effect on
cyclone performance [5–7]. A similar impact of insertion length of
vortex finder tube on performance characteristics was elucidated [8,9].
Not only the area of inlet [10] but also its angle of inclination [11,12]
was reported to be sensitive. Huang et al. [13] introduced an ar-
rangement of tubes in the inlet duct to laminarize the inlet gas and
reported improvement in the classification performance of a cyclone
separator. Brar and Elsayed [14] performed multi-objective optimiza-
tion of a cyclone separator for different flow rates, location, and the
area of the secondary inlet on collection efficiency and pressure drop.
Inlet temperature effects with single and double inlet cyclones were
studied by Siadaty et al. [15] wherein the improvement in cyclone
performance was reported with double inlet over the conventional
single inlet cyclone. The main body diameter of the cyclone was found
more sensitive to the pressure drop than the collection efficiency [16],

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: brarlsb@gmail.com, brarls@bitmesra.ac.in (L.S. Brar).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2018.06.013
Received 24 January 2018; Received in revised form 14 April 2018; Accepted 5 June 2018
Available online 25 June 2018
1383-5866/ © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283

and an optimum cyclone diameter was determined by Wasilewski and

Brar [17] to improve the clinker burning process. Increasing the total
cyclone length brings about an improvement in both the performance
parameters simultaneously [18].
Numerous studies related to the size and shape of the vortex finder
tube have been reported in the literature. Hoekstra [19] carried out
experiments on cyclones with different vortex finder diameters and
reported significant changes in the flow scalars and vectors and the
levels of velocity fluctuations in the core region. Elsayed and Lacor [9]
reported an increase in pressure drop and reduction in cut-off size with
decrease in vortex finder diameter – similar observations were reported
by Brar et al. [20]. Lim et al. [21] evaluated the cyclone performance
for different vortex finder shapes viz. four cylinder-shaped and six cone-
shaped vortex finders at different flow rates by experimental means. A
similar study was conducted by Raoufi et al. [8] in which lower col-
lection efficiencies with decreasing outlet divergence angle were re-
ported. Li et al. [22] replaced the conventional vortex finder with the
one having slotted side walls. De Souza et al. [23] used two different
arrangements, namely, the use of a Post Cyclone (PoC) and an annular
tube to enhance the particle collection efficiency, whereas in another
study by the authors [24] more than thirty different outlet duct con-
figurations were tested. Chen and Liu [25] performed numerical si-
mulations on cyclones with novel exhaust under different insertion
depths, contact angles and sloping angles, and reported an increase in
separation efficiency. Kępa [26] made use of numerical simulations to
analyse the flow and performance of cyclone with double vortex finder
and noticed the insignificant effect on collection efficiency. Elsayed
[27] optimized the shape of vortex finder by using the adjoint method
and reported improvement in cyclone performance. Pei et al. [28] in-
serted cross-shaped metal blades inside the vortex finder and observed
a significant reduction in pressure drop for nearly a similar collection Fig. 1. Stairmand cyclone model.
efficiency. Wakizono et al. [29] attached rings of different dimensions
on the upper part of the outlet tube that improved the performance of Table 1
gas cyclones. Misiulia et al. [30] optimized the cyclone performance for The geometrical details of cyclone model.
different deswirler geometries and reported a significant reduction in Symbol* Dimensions
total pressure drop, followed by a slight decrease in the separation ef-
ficiency. De/D 0.500
Apart from the several studies on vortex finder shape and size, there Lv/D 0.500
a/D 0.500
exists another possibility to optimize the cyclone performance – an
b/D 0.200
eccentric vortex finder tube could be a possible way to achieve it. This H/D 1.500
parameter has not gained much attention as evident from the literature Hc/D 2.500
(mentioned above). Recently, Parvaz et al. [31] performed a similar Bc/D 0.375
study by providing an eccentricity to the outlet tube in a range of
* Normalized with cyclone diameter
4–10% of the cyclone diameter and reported a significant effect on the
D = 0.205 m.
flow field and performance. However, only unidirectional eccentricity
(in the x-direction) was provided in their work, and the impact of ec-
Table 2
centricity in other directions is still unknown. Shifting the centre of
Settings for the DoE.
outlet tube means it could be applied to any existing cyclone model
without any major replacement other than the cyclone roof. This could Variable Quantity Minimum Maximum
also be applied to the existing real installations that require optimiza-
x1 Dimensionless location along X-axis, ex/D −0.06 0.06
tion but are subjected to constrained geometrical parameters due to x2 Dimensionless location along Y-axis, ey/D −0.06 0.06
space limitations. Keeping this key point in mind, an optimization study
*
has been planned that could be applied to any existing cyclone se- D = 0.205 m is the main body diameter of cyclone.
parator or incorporated in a new cyclone unit. As evident, variations in
pressure drop (cf. Fig. 11, pp. 10 in [31]) as well as collection efficiency
(cf. Fig. 12, pp. 10 in [31]) are quite complicated and highly non-linear the best of authors’ knowledge, no study based on the optimum location
in nature. This implies that arbitrarily assigning an eccentricity to of the vortex finder centre has ever been performed. In the present
vortex finder tube may cause deterioration in cyclone performance. work, the two objectives in optimization include minimizing the pres-
Hence, a care must be taken, and preferably, a multi-objective opti- sure drop – expressed in dimensionless form as Euler number (Eu); and
mization study must be performed to achieve the best possible perfor- cut-off particle size – expressed in dimensionless form as Stokes number
mance parameters. (Stk50).
Therefore, the present study is aimed to explore a broader prospect To summarize, the present study is aimed at analysing the effect and
of the off-centred location of vortex finders from cyclone axis rather optimizing the location of vortex finder centre around the geometrical
than confining it to a single direction. For this, an optimization study axis. To design the experiments, we use Latin hypercube sampling
has been conducted to deliver a set of best possible vortex finder centre (LHS) plan. Artificial neural network (ANN) is used as a surrogate
locations (Pareto front points) for enhanced cyclone performance. To model to fit the input-output relationship. The multi-objective

270
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed
Fig. 2. Geometrical representation of the eccentric vortex finder centres for all cases from Table 3.
optimization is carried out using genetic algorithms (GA) to generate a
set of values defining the optimum locations of the vortex finder centre.
To analyse the effects of the off-centred vortex finer tubes on the
pressure losses and cut-off sizes, we select a few design parameters from
the Pareto fronts and perform numerical simulations. We also present
the mean and fluctuating pressure as well as velocity fields for better
understanding.
2. Description of the numerical settings and validation
CFD has been used to predict the two dependent variables viz. Eu
and Stk. Most of the previous studies have demonstrated and en-
couraged the use of Reynolds stress model (RSM) – a closure model to
Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations – to accurately
calculate cyclone flows [6–8,10,15–18,20,21,30–38]. This is because
RSM accounts for the high streamline curvature and rapid changes in
271
Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283
strain as compared to one-equation and two-equation models. However,
a major drawback that RANS suffers is the modelling of the entire range
of length scales due to which the fluctuations – an important compo-
nent of instantaneous velocity – are lost that acts as a source of particle
dispersion. This necessitates incorporating an appropriate mathema-
tical model to account for the effect of dispersion on solid particles.
Such drawbacks associated with RANS are taken care of by a more
advanced turbulence model, known as the large eddy simulation (LES).
LES is capable of resolving a large part of the flow directly and mod-
elling the unresolved scales – the filtering of the scales is done by the
grids itself. A major part of the resolved flow – that of course, depends
on the grid design and resolution, and the time step – resembles the
actual flow condition. Hence, LES demands much higher computational
efforts and physical runtime than RANS.
The eccentricity provided to the vortex finder tube causes the inner
vortex to bend, and as a result, it is likely to affect the mean and
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed
Fig. 3. Mesh representing 0.66 million (to the left) and 1.87 million Hexahedra (to the right) in cyclone number 22 (cf. Table 3).
fluctuating pressure and velocity fields. This necessitates using a reli-
able turbulence model that could accurately calculate the cyclonic flow.
Thus, LES with standard Smagorinsky Lilly (CS = 0.1) is independently
used to predict the flow field and extract the required data. For a de-
tailed description of this kind of mathematical modelling, including the
governing equations, we refer to [39].
2.1. Details of the cyclone geometry
The design guidelines proposed by Stairmand [40] is used as the
baseline model in this study which is a cylinder-on-cone type model
with a tangential inlet. All the geometrical parameters such as vortex
finder diameter (De) and its insertion length (Lv), inlet height (a) and
width (b), cylinder height (H), cone height (Hc), cone tip diameter (Bc)
and cyclone diameter (D) are illustrated in Fig. 1. Dimensions are
presented in Table 1.
2.2. Design of experiments
Studying the effect of several factors would require performing a
number of experiments. However, due to the expansive nature of con-
ducting experiments, the number of runs desired are the least. This
could be achieved by means of carefully designed experiments, so-
called the design of experiments (DoE) – a statistical approach that has
been commonly used these days (for instance, [14,30,32,34]). In the
present study, we make use of the Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) plan
in which the design space is split into equally sized hypercubes (com-
monly referred to as bins) with a single point placed in each bin. The
LHS is gaining popularity over traditional sampling plans such as the
full factorial, central composite, and Box-Behnken methods. Table 2
presents the DoE over a range that each independent variable is as-
signed. A total of 25 runs with different combinations of the in-
dependent variables were designed with LHS. A pictorial representation
of this distribution on the (Z-) plane is presented in Fig. 2 that gives a
clear overview of the vortex finder locations.
2.3. Discretization of the solution domain
Two levels of mesh consisting of nearly 0.66 million and 1.87 mil-
lion hexahedra were generated using ICEM CFD v16.2. As in the earlier
study by the authors [14], the multiblock meshing approach is used in
272
Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283
which the blocks were split down to fill the entire fluid domain – such
an approach provides an advantage of local mesh refinement. The
generated grids are non-orthogonal curvilinear in nature that gets easily
adapted to the geometry, especially the curved wall. Secondly, the cell
faces are aligned along the curved streamlines that helps to reduce the
numerical diffusion. Since a large number of test model are involved,
the steps used to mesh a cyclone were recorded and saved as a script file
for later use. The resulting script was run over all other models – this
reduced a considerable amount of time and effort to create grids. Sec-
ondly, such an approach ensures a similar grid topology in all the
models. The mesh near the walls and in the core region is refined to
capture the near wall phenomenon and to account for the effect of
precessing coherent structure in the core region, respectively. Fig. 3
elucidates the surface mesh of cyclone model 22 at two different levels.
2.4. Solver settings
The steady-state flow was first run using RNG k-ε model with
standard wall function. The pressure-velocity coupling was done using
the SIMPLEC (semi-implicit method pressure-linked equations con-
sistent) algorithm. For pressure, the PRESTO! (PREssure STaggered
Option) interpolation scheme was applied. The first order upwind
scheme was used for the momentum, turbulent kinetic energy, and
turbulent dissipation rate. The solver tolerance for all the conservation
equations was set to 10−5. Initiating the time-independent flow field
prior to LES saves a considerable time, and the resulting field is used as
an initial flow-field for LES. The pressure and velocity were coupled
using NITA (Non-iterative time advancement) algorithm with fractional
step scheme in LES. Although NITA consumes larger memory, a con-
siderable amount of time is saved as compared to the iterative time-
advancement scheme that requires a large number of outer iterations
over each time-step. The PRESTO! interpolation scheme was used for
pressure as it accounts for swirling flows involving steep pressure gra-
dients. Bounded central differencing scheme for momentum and
bounded second-order implicit scheme for time enhancement were
used. The applied solver settings are similar to that used by the authors’
in their earlier work [14].
2.4.1. For the continuous phase
For the continuous phase, air with the density of 1.2 kg/m3 and
viscosity of 2.0 × 10−5 kg/m·s at the standard atmospheric pressure
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283

0.6

0.3

<Vz >/Uin
0

-0.3

-0.6

2.2

1.1
<Vy >/Uin

-1.1

-2.2

0.4
Vz’/Uin

0.2

0
0.4 Exp.
LES (0.712M)
LES (2.463M)
Vy’/Uin

0.2

0
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1
X/R X/R X/R
1
Partial collection efficiency

Exp.
0.8 LES (0.68M)
LES (2.15M)
0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0.1 1
Particle size (μm)
Fig. 4. Comparison of simulation results against experimental data at two levels of grid. The first four rows presents comparison against [19] (a) from left to right:
velocity profiles at axial locations Z/D = 0.75, 2.0 and 2.5 (D = 2R = 0.29 m is the barrel diameter) from the cyclone roof, and (b) from top to bottom: first row –
mean axial velocity; second row – mean tangential velocity; third row – RMS axial velocity; and fourth row – RMS tangential velocity, respectively. The figure in the
last row elucidates a comparison between the numerically simulated grade efficiency curves for the two mesh levels against experimental data [42].

and a temperature of 23 °C is taken as a working medium. At the inlet, a
uniform velocity profile is prescribed, and Reynolds number
(Re = ρUinD/µ, where ρ is the density of the gas, and Uin is the super-
ficial gas velocity at the inlet, and µ is the dynamic viscosity of gas) of
1.845 × 105 is used. Stochastic velocity fluctuations were not con-
sidered at the inlet as no dependency on this condition was reported by
Gronald and Derksen [35] – this is more likely due to a strong swirl
ahead of the inlet section connecting to the cyclone chamber. Pressure
outlet (with a zero-gauge pressure) has been prescribed at the outlet –
the backflow has been specified by the normal to boundary method. The
no-slip condition is assigned to all other boundaries. In classical Sma-
gorinsky model, a wall damping function is required to reduce the

273
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283

Table 3 Δ=V1/3 (with V the local cell volume). Based on this, the subgrid-scale
Input data to the surrogate model. 2
viscosity, which is determined as: μsgs = ρlmix |Sij| (with ρ, the fluid
No. x1 x2 Eu Stk50 density; and |Sij| = 2Sij Sij , the resolved deformation rate; and Sij , the
*
rate-of-strain tensor), becomes zero at the wall. For the near-wall
0 0.000 0.000 7.415 0.00118
treatment – owing to the wall adjacent first cell centroid to be in the
1 0.000 0.045 6.370 0.00123
2 0.040 −0.050 6.807 0.00120 turbulent zone – the solver applies the law-of-the-wall approach [14,15].
3 −0.060 −0.055 6.800 0.00148 The selection of time step size is made on the basis of residence time
4 −0.020 −0.030 7.659 0.00114 tres = V / V̇ , where the total volume of the cyclone is V and V̇ is volume
5 −0.040 0.040 6.770 0.00137 flow rate of the gas flowing through the cyclone. Since eccentricity
6 −0.050 −0.045 7.385 0.00121
7 −0.035 −0.005 7.504 0.00116
alone is provided to the outlet tube centre, the separation space volume
8 −0.010 0.055 6.200 0.00146 does not undergo any change – hence, all the models possess a volume
9 −0.005 0.005 7.407 0.00106 of nearly 0.021146 m3. Based on Re = 1.845 × 105, the calculated re-
10 0.015 0.015 7.081 0.00125 sidence time is nearly 24.51Tin (with Tin = D/Uin the integral time
−0.010
11 0.010 7.496 0.00113
scale) – therefore, a time step size of 3.66 × 10−3Tin is used. The time
12 0.030 0.010 6.919 0.00121
13 −0.025 0.035 6.889 0.00114 averaging was started after at least one bulk residence time, and it was
14 0.055 −0.060 6.311 0.00141 also ensured that the monitored flow variables (especially the tangen-
15 −0.055 0.025 6.993 0.00137 tial velocity) became quasi-steady with time.
16 0.025 0.060 5.481 0.00156
17 0.005 0.020 7.067 0.00130
18 0.020 −0.025 7.274 0.00111
2.4.2. For the discrete phase
19 −0.045 0.030 6.978 0.00128
20 −0.030 −0.040 7.644 0.00108
For discrete phase modelling (DPM), particles of density 2700 kg/
21 0.045 0.000 6.585 0.00121 m3 with ten different class of diameters viz. Stk (×103) = 0.152, 0.610,
22 0.060 0.050 4.904 0.00164 1.372, 2.439, 3.811, 5.488, 7.470, 9.756, 21.951, and 39.024 are in-
23 −0.015 −0.015 7.585 0.00101 jected to determine the collection efficiency. Solid particles are injected
24 0.035 −0.020 7.000 0.00103
normal to the face with a velocity equal to that of the flowing fluid at
25 0.050 −0.035 7.541 0.00111
the inlet. At cyclone bottom, DPM setting is defined as the trap. The
* Standard cyclone model (not a part of DOE). coefficients of restitution in tangential as well as in wall normal di-
rection are taken as unity [6–10,14]. Furthermore, owing to a low
eddy-viscosity to zero at the wall. For this, we use lmix = min (κd, CSΔ), concentration of the solid particles, we apply one-way coupling. To
with κ, the von Kármán constant taken as 0.41; d, the distance to the track the particle trajectories 900,000 integration steps were used, and
closest wall; and Δ, a measure for the local grid spacing computed as the equation of motion of particles was discretized using the trapezoidal
scheme [14].
eY/D

The values represent - No.: (Eu, Stk50 x 103)

Geometric centres of vortex finder {cf. Table 3}
0.06
16: (5.481, 1.561)
8: (6.200, 1.465) 22 :(4.904, 1.640)
5: (6.770, 1.372) 1: (6.370, 1.230)

19: (6.978, 1.282) 13: (6.889, 1.144)

Eu: 6.200 – 7.415 Eu: 4.904 – 7.415

17: (7.067, 1.300)
15: (6.993, 1.372) Stk (X103): 1.062 – 1.465 Stk (X103): 1.178 – 1.640

10: (7.081, 1.247)

12: (6.919, 1.212)
9: (7.407, 1.062)
0: (7.415, 1.178)
0
21: (6.585, 1.212)
-0.06 7: (7.504, 1.161) 0 0.0 6 ex/D
11: (7.496, 1.128)
23: (7.585, 1.015)
24: (7.000, 1.030)

18: (7.274, 1.111)

4: (7.659, 1.144) 25: (6.600, 1.111)

20: (7.644, 1.079)

6: (7.385, 1.212)
Eu: 6.800 – 7.659 Eu: 6.311 – 7.415 2: (6.807, 1.195)
Stk (X103): 1.015 – 1.484 Stk (X103): 1.030 – 1.409
3: (6.800, 1.484) 14: (6.311, 1.409)
-0.06
Fig. 5. A Chart indicating the values of Eu and Stk50 number against the respective locations of vortex finder centres (cf. Fig. 3 and Table 3 for further details). The
values in box indicates the range over which Eu and Stk50 vary in each quadrant.

274
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283

Outputs vs. Targets, R=1

Outputs Y, Linear Fit: Y=(1)T+(í1.3eí09)

Outputs vs. Targets, R=1

Outputs Y, Linear Fit: Y=(1)T+(í1.eí09)

.0 1.9
Data Points
Best Linear Fit
1.
7.5 Y=T
1.7
7.0
1.6
6.5 1.5

6.0 1.4

1.3
5.5
1.2
5.0 1.1
(a) (b)
4.5 1.0
4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 .0 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1. 1.9

Targets T Targets T
Fig. 6. Agreement between training data and the RBFNN results for (a) Eu, and (b) Stk50.

15

14

13

Fig. 7. The elementary effect distribution for (a) Eu, and (b) Stk50.

Table 4 2.5. Validation and methodology

Genetic operators and parameters for multi-objective optimization.
Population type
Population size
Selection operation
Crossover fraction
Crowding distance fraction
Crossover operation
Maximum number of
generations
The resolved part of flow does not require any special treatment to
account for the effects of velocity fluctuations. In contrast, the un-
resolved part – that is modelled with the subgrid scale (SGS) model –
requires a separate treatment to account for the effects of velocity
fluctuations on solid particles. For this, the Discrete Random Walk
(DRW) model is used that makes use of the LES quantities to compute
the turbulent dispersion. Elsayed and Lacor [9] performed a feasibility
study on the effect of SGS fluctuations on the particle collection effi-
ciency and reported a very small difference of 2.18% in Stk50. In the
present study, due to the coarse mesh, the flow near the walls is
modelled – hence the particles experience the SGS fluctuations.
Double vector
The dependency of CFD predictions on the grid necessitates con-
ducting a grid dependency study. Therefore, to validate the numerical
45 (i.e., 15 × number of variables which is the settings used for the continuous phase, experimental data of Hoekstra
default in Matlab) [19] have been used. Hoekstra performed experiments on Stairmand
tournament (tournament size equals 2)
high-efficiency cyclone [40] with a body diameter of D = 0.29 m and
0.8
0.35 extracted the mean and root mean square (RMS) values of axial and
Intermediate crossover with the default value of tangential velocities using laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) technique.
1.0 A similar cyclone model was also numerically simulated by Brar et al.
800 (i.e., 200 × number of variables which is
[14] and Derksen [41]. The geometrical details are similar to those il-
the default in Matlab)
lustrated in Table 1, except that a dust collection bin of diameter Db/
D = 1 and length Lb/D = 2 was incorporated at the cyclone bottom as
in the experiment. For validation, we use the data of cyclone with Dx/
D = 0.5 operating at Re = 2.8 × 105. Two levels of the grid consisting
of 0.712 million hexahedra and 2.463 million hexahedra were tested for
the grid independence study with a time step of 5.56 × 10−3Tin. For
grid refinement, a global reduction factor of more than 1.5 in each of
the principal directions was made.
The first row in Fig. 4 illustrates the mean profiles of axial velocity,
whereas the second row elucidates the mean profiles of tangential ve-
locity, at Z/D = 0.75, 2.0, and 2.5 (from left to right), respectively. The
Z-direction is measured from the cyclone roof and is taken positive in
the downward direction. A good agreement between the numerical
predictions and the LDV data is observed – the results from the two

275
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283

Table 5 levels of grids also agree well. The third row in Fig. 4 illustrates the
Pareto solution points using MOGA. RMS profiles of axial velocity, whereas the fourth row elucidates the
No. x1 x2 Eu Stk50 (×103) RMS profiles of tangential velocities, respectively. The numerical pre-
dictions agree well to the experimental data at both the grid levels
1 0.0066 −0.0404 0.0015 4.0569 except for the RMS values of tangential velocity, where a slight shoot up
2 −0.0037 −0.0412 0.6133 3.6895
near the cyclone axis is observed with the finer mesh. However, in the
3 −0.0255 0.0200 5.6057 1.2995
4 0.0600 0.0588 4.7055 1.7357
free-vortex region, both the levels of grid agree well.
5 −0.0251 0.0145 6.1402 0.9317 The last row in Fig. 4 represents the comparison of grade efficiency
6 −0.0267 0.0118 6.5433 0.6982 curves (GEC) between the numerical simulations and the experimental
7 −0.0356 0.0049 8.8657 0.0000 data of Yoshida et al. [42] for q = 0.0 l/min (cf. Fig. 14, pp. 13 of [42]
8* −0.0323 0.0063 7.9219 0.1947
for type A cyclone). The two levels of the grid consisting of nearly 0.68
9 0.0041 0.0600 4.2049 2.1101
10 −0.0035 −0.0376 4.2008 2.1925 million hexahedra and 2.15 million hexahedra were numerically si-
11 −0.0011 −0.0412 0.0429 3.9436 mulated. As observed, the numerical predictions fit well to the ex-
12 0.0060 0.0600 4.4821 1.9577 perimental data, and the difference in results is quite small with the two
13 0.0572 0.0519 5.2514 1.4556
grid levels, thereby confirming that the solution has almost reached the
14 −0.0018 −0.0412 0.1986 3.8727
15 0.0580 0.0550 5.1101 1.5062
grid independence.
16 −0.0025 −0.0400 1.6570 3.2508
17 −0.0016 −0.0408 0.5532 3.7229 2.6. CFD predictions for the table of runs
18 −0.0355 0.0050 8.8315 0.0041
19 −0.0251 0.0211 5.5337 1.3682
20 −0.0343 0.0101 8.0924 0.1436
The predictions of the Euler number (Eu) and Stokes number (Stk50)
21 0.0050 0.0600 4.3463 2.0319 using LES, for different combinations of the independent variables in
22 0.0055 0.0600 4.4151 1.9942 the DoE, are presented in Table 3. Pressure drop (ΔPt) is extracted based
23 −0.0260 0.0177 5.8088 1.1422 on the mean total pressure, and is presented in a dimensionless form as:
24 −0.0029 −0.0400 1.7805 3.1974
25 −0.0285 0.0103 6.8949 0.5323 ΔPt
Eu =
26* −0.0025 −0.0375 4.1495 2.2176 1
ρ U2
27 −0.0279 0.0086 7.0306 0.4705 2 g in (1)
28 −0.0033 −0.0399 1.9653 3.1183 where ΔPt is the mean total pressure difference across the inlet and
29 −0.0063 −0.0388 3.6982 2.3933
30 0.0553 0.0496 5.4029 1.4224
outlet, ρg is the density of gas, and Uin is the superficial gas velocity at
31 −0.0337 0.0048 8.3273 0.1253 the inlet.
32 −0.0218 0.0179 5.8058 1.2180 The cut-off diameter (X50) is expressed in dimensionless form as:
33 0.0600 0.0598 4.6212 1.7994
34* 0.0595 0.0554 4.9266 1.5924 ρp d 2 Uin
p
35 −0.0026 −0.0406 1.0777 3.4954 Stk =
36* −0.0012 −0.0379 3.5185 2.4834 18μg D (2)
37 0.0025 −0.0379 3.0167 2.7241
38 −0.0045 −0.0412 0.8345 3.5944 where ρp is the density of solid particles, dp is the size of solid particles
39 −0.0288 0.0073 7.2503 0.3890 (here it is the cut-off diameter), µg is the dynamic viscosity of gas, and D
40 0.0566 0.0598 4.8148 1.7198 is the main body diameter of cyclone.
41 −0.0034 −0.0393 2.6362 2.8371
Fig. 5 illustrates a more presentable form of the data from Table 3
42 −0.0247 0.0186 5.7048 1.2254
43 0.0012 −0.0401 0.9385 3.5810
on a plane contained by the cyclone roof (at Z = 0). As elucidated, the
44 −0.0048 −0.0381 4.0165 2.2640 variations in Eu and Stk50 from one point to another are very compli-
45 −0.0041 −0.0389 3.1530 2.6206 cated and highly nonlinear in nature. Hence, a robust optimization
46 −0.0261 0.0136 6.2795 0.8439 technique is required to undertake the challenge to optimize the re-
47 −0.0033 −0.0379 3.9134 2.3105
sponse of such a complex system.
48 −0.0262 0.0051 7.2076 0.4267
49 −0.0052 −0.0403 2.0109 3.0957
50 −0.0026 −0.0396 2.1583 3.0401 2.7. Surrogate modelling using artificial neural network
51 −0.0049 −0.0397 2.4996 2.8909
52 −0.0270 0.0159 6.0539 0.9819
The artificial neural network (ANN) is a widely used surrogate
53 −0.0038 −0.0387 3.2736 2.5715
54 −0.0353 0.0087 8.5534 0.0059 model to fit the input–output relationship. It has been successfully ap-
55 0.0007 −0.0384 2.7356 2.8226 plied earlier to model the cyclone performance parameters
56* −0.0315 0.0081 7.6164 0.2725 [14,30,32,43–46]. In this study, we use the radial basis function arti-
57 −0.0255 0.0061 7.0950 0.4660 ficial neural network (RBFNN) with default settings.
58 0.0002 −0.0390 2.2734 3.0105
The training data for ANN is listed in Table 3. A good agreement
59 −0.0023 −0.0382 3.4574 2.5018
60 −0.0019 −0.0403 1.2358 3.4318 between the training data and the fitted RBFNN can be seen in Fig. 6.
61 −0.0293 0.0071 7.3348 0.3607 The screening study [47] has been conducted to create the elementary
62 −0.0280 0.0117 6.6653 0.6400 effect distribution and is shown in Fig. 7. Increasing the eccentricity in
63 −0.0037 −0.0381 3.7843 2.3617
x-direction will increase both the pressure drop and the cut-off size.
64 −0.0032 −0.0404 1.3760 3.3669
65 0.0015 −0.0381 2.9462 2.7427
Whereas the opposite effect is depicted for the eccentricity in the y-
66 −0.0259 0.0165 5.9353 1.0558 direction. There is an interaction between the two variables (ex/D and
67 −0.0276 0.0105 6.7797 0.5812 ey/D).
68 −0.0068 −0.0406 2.1128 3.0546
69 −0.0026 −0.0407 0.9708 3.5407
70 0.0018 −0.0373 3.6283 2.4646
3. Results and discussion

* Pareto front points chosen for simulations. Prior to conducting the optimization study, it is essential to un-
derstand the response of the dependent variables for different

276
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed
4
C36
C56
Stk50 (x103)
2 C34
C26
(a)
0 -0.06
0 3 6 9
Eu
Fig. 8. (a) Pareto front for the two-objective functions, and (b) the coordinates corresponding to the Pareto front on Z = 0 plane (cf. Table 6).
combinations of the independent variables. Fig. 5 presents the values of
Eu and Stk50 predicted using CFD against different eccentricity values
generated using DoE (see also Fig. 2 to relate the coordinates in Fig. 5).
The chart also illustrates a range over which each of the performance
parameters varies in each quadrant (enclosed in a box). The first
quadrant suggests energy efficient designs, whereas the design vari-
ables chosen from the fourth quadrant counts more on higher collection
efficiency.
Among several observations, some of the key points presented here
(based on the quadrants) are as follows:
(i) In the first quadrant:
• Eu varies significantly between points 16 and 22 than in Stk50,
although the distance between them is not large.
• A similar observation holds between points 1 and 10.
(ii) In the second quadrant:
• For the same Stk50, a large difference in Eu can be elucidated
between points 5 and 15. In contrast, for a mild difference in Eu,
the relative change in Stk50 is noticeable.
• When moving along the curve 1 from point 8 to point 15, a
significant increase in Eu is noticed, whereas Stk50 first reduces
from point 8 to point 19 and then increases at point 15.
(iii) In the third quadrant:
• When moving radially outward from the origin along line 1, Eu
reduces and Stk50 decreases from point 0 to point 23 and
thereafter an opposite trend is observed up to point 3 through
point 6.
• Along the line 2, as for line 1, Eu increases from point 0 to point
4 and then reduces at point 20. In contrast to what was noticed
along line 1, Stk50 reduces monotonically from point 0 to point
20 through point 4.
(iv) In the fourth quadrant:
• Similar to the previous observation for line 2, Eu increases from
point 0 to point 11 and then decreases consistently from point 11
to point 14 through points 18 and 2 along the line 3. Stk50, on
the other hand, decreases from point 0 to point 18 through point
11 and then increases at points 2 and 14.
• Along line 4, Eu reduces very sharply from point 0 to point 25
through points 11 and 24, whereas Stk50 reduces from point 0 to
point 24 through 11 and then increases at point 25.
• Though not far away, for the same Stk50, significant change in Eu
is observed between points 18 and 25, whereas for a marginal
shift from point 2 to point 14, both Eu and Stk50 changes dra-
matically.
Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283
ey/D
0.06
C34
C36
C08 0
- 0 .0 6 0 0 .0 6 ex/D
C26 C56
C08 (b)
It is interesting to notice the variations in the performance in-
dicators from one location to another – these variations are quite large
and highly nonlinearly in nature over different locations. Since it is not
feasible to consider all the possible (infinite number of) points to train
the neural network, a total of 25 coordinate locations, as designed using
LHS [47], are considered and these points are very well distributed over
the entire (Z-) plane – the details are elucidated in Table 3. Hence,
optimizing the cyclone parameters based on eccentric vortex finder
tube is a great challenge.
3.1. Multi-objective optimization using the genetic algorithms
Genetic algorithms are evolutionary optimization techniques that
are widely used in many optimization studies. Table 4 lists the settings
used in the multi-objective optimization study using NSGA-II [14]. The
generated Pareto front points are listed in Table 5 and plotted in Fig. 8 –
among these, some design points are identified for further analysis.
3.2. Description of the flow field
To have a better understanding of the flow field, we perform CFD
simulations on selected Pareto front points. Five different Pareto front
points – based on relevance – have been selected from Table 5 viz. case
numbers 8, 26, 34, 36, and 56, designated as cyclones C8, C26, C34,
C36, and C56, respectively (also cf. Fig. 8(a)). The selection is such that
at least one case is chosen from each quadrant (Fig. 8(b)). Thus, a total
of 6 cyclones, inclusive of the baseline model (C0), are numerically
simulated with the prescribed settings as discussed earlier in Section
2.4.
3.2.1. The mean flow-field
The first row in Fig. 9 illustrates the contour plot of time-averaged
static pressure field on Y = 0 plane – normalized with density times the
square of gas velocity at inlet – for cyclones C0, C8, C26, C34, C36, and
C56. The static pressure is maximum near the walls and decreases ra-
dially towards the cyclone axis. Near the centreline, the pressure pos-
sesses a negative value which means the pressure there is below at-
mospheric – this negative pressure is a result of high swirl intensity in
the core region. The flow gets asymmetric with eccentricity due to
bending of the vortex core. A clearer picture of the mean static pressure
distribution can be elucidated from the first row of Fig. 10. Here, the
sense of Z is taken positive in the downward direction and is measured
from the cyclone roof. The static pressure distribution in all cyclones is
comparable except for C34 in which the pressure near the walls is much
277
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed
C0 C8
Fig. 9. Contours plots on Y = 0 plane (a) from left to right: cyclones C0, C8, C26, C34, C36, and C56, and (b) from top bottom: mean static pressure, mean axial
velocity, and mean tangential velocity, respectively.
less and higher near the cyclone axis. Secondly, a closer look in the
outer vortex region reveals a non-symmetrical static pressure distribu-
tion. At Z/D = 2.5, i.e., in the lower conical part, the least pressure
point – that corresponds to the inner vortex centre – illustrates an offset
from the geometrical axis.
The second row in Fig. 9 illustrates contour plots and the second
row in Fig. 10 illustrates radial profiles of mean axial velocity, both
normalized with gas velocity at the inlet. The axial velocity exhibits two
Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283
C26 C34 C36 C56
different flow regimes – the one in outer region where the flow is di-
rected downwards and the other in core region where the flow is op-
positely directed. The change in flow direction takes place due to flow
reversal at the cyclone bottom (cf. Fig. 9). The conventional cyclone C0
exhibits a much straighter inner vortex than other cyclone models. A
highly asymmetric vortex core is noticed in C34, where the vortex core
tends to get much closer to the walls in the conical section that may
affect the collection efficiency. The mean axial velocity, as in Fig. 10,
278
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283

C0 C8 C26 C34 C36 C56

4.0

2.0
<PSt >/ρUin2

0.0

-2.0

-4.0

1.0

0.6
<Vz >/Uin

0.2

-0.2

-0.6

2.4

1.2
<Vy >/Uin

0.0

-1.2

-2.4
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1
X/R X/R X/R
Fig. 10. Radial profiles (a) from left to right: at axial locations Z/D = 1.0, 2.0 and 2.5, and (b) from top bottom: mean static pressure, mean axial velocity, and mean
tangential velocity, respectively, in cyclones C0, C8, C26, C34, C36, and C56.

exhibits an inverted W profile for all models. A slight mismatch in the
profile due to eccentricity at Z/D = 1.0 and 2.0 is seen, whereas this
deviation at Z/D = 2.5 is significant, especially in cyclone C34. The
effect of eccentricity is also vital in the outer vortex region.
The third row in Fig. 9 illustrates the contour plots and the third row
in Fig. 10 illustrates the radial profiles of mean tangential velocity, both
normalized with the gas velocity at the inlet. In cyclone separators, the
tangential velocity exhibits the Rankine vortex, i.e., tangential velocity
increases linearly from cyclone axis to a maximum value near the outer
region of the forced vortex, and therefrom it starts to decay nonlinearly
towards the wall in free vortex region (cf. Fig. 10). The same has been
illustrated in Fig. 9. The tangential velocity is the most important and
influential velocity component as it affects both pressure drop and
collection efficiency. The separation of solid particles is initiated after
the centrifugal force field sets up, which is directly governed by tan-
gential velocity magnitude. Two important observations (cf. Fig. 10)
are: tangential velocity profiles get asymmetric with eccentricity and
secondly, a shift in the vortex core centre is observed. The magnitude of
tangential velocity is significantly weak in C34, whereas this difference
is less in C8 and C36 than in C0, C26, and C56.
3.2.2. The fluctuating flow- field
In cyclone separators, the complex flow features such as axial flow
reversal and anisotropy are attributed to strong coupling between
tangential velocity and radial pressure gradients [48]. The cyclonic
flows are not free from the low-frequency instabilities – referred to as
the precessing vortex core (PVC) phenomenon – that influences the
mean and fluctuating pressure and velocity fields. The mean velocity
field sets up a strong centrifugal force (accounting the mean tangential
velocity component) in the gas-solid mixture and carries down solid
particles to collection bin (under the influence of mean axial velocity
component). In contrast, velocity fluctuations have the tendency to
disperse separated-out particles near the wall and hence decrease the
collection efficiency.
Although few studies, for instance [2,14,23,41,48], have reported
the root mean square (RMS) components of velocity to address the level
of velocity fluctuations, yet our understanding on the nature of fluc-
tuating pressure field is still scarce.
Fig. 11 presents the profile of RMS static pressure – normalized with
density times the square of gas velocity at the inlet – in cyclones C0, C8,
C26, C34, C36, and C56. The core region is prone to high level of
pressure fluctuations than in the outer vortex. In addition to above, it is
interesting to note that the pressure RMS values are seemingly constant
in the free vortex region, whereas in the core region it increases by 6–8
times than in the outer region. With eccentricity provided to vortex
finder, the bending of fluctuating pressure zone also takes place – this
confirms the confinement of elevated fluctuations to the forced vortex
region. The fluctuations in C34 are comparatively less than the other

279
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283

C0 C8 C26 C34 C36 C56

0.8
P’St /ρUin2

0.4

0.0

0.5
Vz’/Uin

0.3

0.0

0.8
Vy’/Uin

0.4

0.0
-1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1 -1 -0.5 0 0.5 1
X/R X/R X/R
Fig. 11. Radial profiles (a) from left to right: at axial locations Z/D = 1.0, 2.0 and 2.5, and (b) from top bottom: RMS static pressure, RMS axial velocity, and RMS
tangential velocity, respectively, in cyclones C0, C8, C26, C34, C36, and C56.

C0 C8 C26 C34 C36 C56

Fig. 12. The vortex core representation based on λ2 criteria at a level of 0.25 (with actual value of -95/Tin2) in cyclones C0, C8, C26, C34, C36, and C56 (from left to
right), respectively. The vortex core is coloured with the velocity magnitude.

models except at Z/D = 2.5. The RMS values are quite high for cyclones levels of pressure fluctuations.
C36 and C56. In the standard cyclone, pressure fluctuations are com- The fluctuating velocity field is represented by RMS axial and tan-
paratively less, thereby confirming that eccentricity has increased the gential velocity profiles at three axial stations in the second and third

280
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283

100

80

Grade Efficiency (%)

60 C0
C8
40 C26
C34
20
C36
C56
0
0.10 1.00 10.00 100.00
Stk (x103)
Fig. 14. Grade efficiency curves for cyclones C0, C8, C26, C34, C36, and C56.

Table 6
CFD predictions of selected Pareto front points.
Cyclone Eu Stk50 (×103)

C0* 7.4148 1.1781

C8 7.4296 1.0147
C26 7.3556 1.0786
C34 4.6296 1.9103
C36 7.5185 1.0544
C56 7.5407 1.0464

* Standard cyclone model.

row of Fig. 11, respectively. As with pressure fluctuations, the axial and
tangential velocity fluctuations also dominate in the core region than in
the outer vortex – tangential velocity fluctuations are much stronger
than axial velocity fluctuations. In contrast to lesser pressure fluctua-
tions in cyclone C34 (except in the lower conical region), RMS axial and
tangential velocities elucidate maximum fluctuations (cf. Fig. 11).
Secondly, unlike for RMS pressure values in the free vortex zone, var-
iations in RMS axial and tangential velocity profiles are dramatic –
these fluctuations are higher near the wall, undergoes slight changes
away from the wall, and finally aggravates the forced vortex region.

3.3. The vortex core representation

The representation of vortex core, so far, was limited only to a two-

Fig. 13. Velocity vector in cyclone C34 at 139.02 Tin; (a, b) instantaneous ve-
locity vectors on Y = 0 and X = 0 planes; and (c, d) mean velocity vectors on
Y = 0 and X = 0 planes, respectively.
dimensional plane. In reality, the vortex core is strictly a three-di-
mensional coherent structure that possesses a dynamic nature. The
vortex core could be best represented by using the λ2 technique that is
derived through the hessian of pressure – it is taken as the negative
values of second eigenvalue of the symmetry square of velocity gradient
tensor. A region relating the negative λ2 values signifies a vortex core
region [49]. The absolute value of λ2 relates to vortex intensity – this is
because a strong vortical structure relates to low pressure.
Fig. 12 presents the vortex core based on λ2 criteria set to a level of
0.25 with an actual value of −295/Tin2, coloured with velocity mag-
nitude (from left to right) for cyclones C0, C8, C26, C34, C36, and C56,
respectively. The increased bending of vortex core with eccentric vortex
finders can be easily identified. Through visual inspection, vortex core
in standard model seems to be relatively straight, whereas all other
models elucidate significant bends throughout their length. In the lower
conical region, the vortex exhibits a complicated behaviour followed by
a sharp bend (especially in cyclone C34).

281
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed
Fig. 15. Particle traces (coloured with particle diameters) for cyclone C36 at (a) 33.88 Tin, (b) 36.15 Tin, (c) 39.37 Tin, (d) 42.73 Tin, (e) 44.63 Tin, (f) 51.88 Tin, (g)
59.12 Tin, (h) 74.20 Tin, and (i) 124.68 Tin.
3.4. A velocity vector representation of cyclonic field
Here, we consider cyclone C34 for analysis as this model has de-
monstrated a complex bending of the inner vortex. Fig. 13 presents the
instantaneous as well as time-averaged velocity vectors (from top to
bottom) on two mutually perpendicular planes viz. X-plane and Y-plane
(from left to right) respectively. A number of local eddies are observed
both in the instantaneous as well as averaged-out flow fields. Further-
more, downstream to the lower lip of vortex finder tube, an axial ve-
locity deficit region – which is identified by the flow reversal – is ob-
served that could arise due to the extension of the bent vortex in the
contraction region (vortex finder).
3.5. The performance indicators of cyclones
The performance indicators of cyclone separators include pressure
drop and collection efficiency. Pressure drop is defined as the difference
in pressure across the inlet and outlet. As pointed out earlier, the total
pressure is a basis to determine pressure drop and is expressed as Eu.
Since the flow pattern inside vortex finder strongly affects pressure
drop, the complex flow features attributed to vortex bending is likely to
affect overall cyclone performance. The separation efficiency of cy-
clones is determined on basis of the cut-off diameter which is expressed
in dimensionless form as Stk50.
Fig. 14 represents grade efficiency curves (GEC) of cyclones and
Table 6 presents the detailed description of numerical predictions for
cyclones C0, C8, C26, C34, C36, and C56. It becomes apparent that
among the five cases selected from the Pareto front, cyclone C34 yields
lowest energy loss but at an expense of a much larger Stk50 – the re-
duction in tangential velocity magnitude and increase in pressure and
velocity fluctuations could be the possible reason. Cyclones C36 and
C56 elucidate noticeable reduction in Stk50 with a slight increase in Eu,
whereas C26 yields a much lower Stk50 with a marginal increase in Eu
as compared to C0. On the other hand, for nearly a similar Eu, the Stk50
reduces significantly for cyclone C8 in comparison with C0. It is evident
from Fig. 14 that the particles of size less than Stk50 merely exhibit any
noticeable difference in collection efficiency – it could be a counter-
intuitive effect of the increased fluctuation levels that causes dispersion
of lighter particles. In contrast, the heavier particles, i.e., the particle
sizes above Stk50 do not get much affected by turbulent fluctuations due
to inertial effects. Thus, it becomes apparent that particles with sizes
above Stk50 are separated out efficiently in cyclones C8, C26, C36, and
C56, as compared to C0. Since the area under GEC represents the global
282
Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283
collection efficiency, therefore, despite marginal variations in Stk50,
global collection efficiency increases significantly (except C34) in
comparison with the standard model.
Fig. 15 elucidates the dust trails followed by particle (coloured with
particle diameters) for cyclone model 36 at different instances. Particles
of all sizes mix well and lighter particles start to escape at a very early
stage, whereas heavier particles remain close to the wall throughout
their way to cyclone bottom.
4. Conclusions
The present study considers the effect of a marginal shifting of
vortex finder centre at various locations around the global axis of a
cyclone. Twenty-five test cases for different combinations of the in-
dependent variables – planned using Latin hypercube sampling method
– were simulated using large eddy simulation (LES). The LES predic-
tions for Euler number (Eu) and Stokes number (Stk50) were filled in
the table of runs, and resulting data was used to train the artificial
neural network. The optimal datasets – as depicted using genetic al-
gorithms – illustrates 70 optimal (Pareto front) points that exhibit a
wide range of Eu and Stk50. Based on desired system performance, the
corresponding eccentric points may be selected by a designer.
Conclusive results indicate that:
• Providing eccentricity to vortex finder significantly affects the cy-
clone performance.
• Bending of vortex core increases with eccentricity.
• Variations in both Eu, as well as Stk , are dramatic over a range of
50
offsetting vortex finder tube.
Five Pareto front points viz. C8, C26, C34, C36, and C56 were se-
lected, according to the relevance, to predicted Eu and Stk50 using nu-
merical simulations. It was observed that the tested cyclones demon-
strate significant improvement in Stk50, except C34 that elucidates
noticeable reduction in Eu with an increase in Stk50. As compared to the
standard model C0:
• Cyclones C8 and C26 yields 13.87% and 8.45% reduction in Stk 50
for nearly a similar Eu (the difference being less than 0.8%), re-
spectively
• Cyclone C34 has shown a decent pressure drop with 37.56% re-
duction in Eu but at an expense of 62.15% increase in Stk50
• Cyclones C36 and C56 also demonstrate a reduction in Stk50 by
L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed
10.5% and 11.18% for a nominal increase in Eu by less than 1.7% (at
most), respectively
It has been demonstrated that response of the system – based on
eccentric vortex finders – is highly nonlinear. Albeit the complex flow
phenomenon, off centring the outlet tube provides a possible way to
optimize the cyclone performance. Both Pareto front points and nu-
merical simulations confirm a significant improvement in the cyclone
performance with the eccentric vortex finder configurations, in com-
parison with the standard model.
References
[1] A.C. Hoffman, L.E. Stein, Gas Cyclones and Swirl Tubes: Principles, Design and
Operation, Springer, 2008.
[2] J.J. Derksen, H.E.A. Van den Akker, Simulation of vortex core precession in a re-
verse-flow cyclone, AIChE J. 46 (7) (2000) 1317–1331.
[3] G.I. Pisarev, V. Gjerde, B.V. Balakin, A.C. Hoffmann, H.A. Dijkstra, W. Peng,
Experimental and computational study of the “end of the vortex” phenomenon in
reverse-flow centrifugal separators, AIChE J. 58 (5) (2012) 1371–1380.
[4] Z. Liu, J. Jiao, Y. Zheng, Q. Zhang, L. Jia, Investigation of turbulent characteristics
in a gas cyclone by stereoscopic PIV, AIChE J. 52 (12) (2006) 4150–4160.
[5] R. Xiang, S.H. Park, K.W. Lee, Effects of cone dimension on cyclone performance, J.
Aerosol Sci. 32 (4) (2001) 549–561.
[6] J. Gimbun, T.G. Chuah, T.S.Y. Choong, A. Fakhru’l-Razi, Prediction of the effects of
cone tip diameter on the cyclone performance, J. Aerosol Sci. 36 (8) (2005)
1056–1065.
[7] K. Elsayed, C. Lacor, Numerical modeling of the flow field and performance in
cyclones of different cone-tip diameters, Comput. Fluids 51 (1) (2011) 48–59.
[8] A. Raoufi, M. Shams, M. Farzaneh, R. Ebrahimi, Numerical simulation and opti-
mization of fluid flow in cyclone vortex finder, Chem. Eng. Process. 47 (2008)
128–137.
[9] K. Elsayed, C. Lacor, The effect of cyclone vortex finder dimensions on the flow
pattern and performance using LES, Comput. Fluids 71 (2013) 224–239.
[10] K. Elsayed, C. Lacor, The effect of cyclone inlet dimensions on the flow pattern and
performance, Appl. Math. Model. 35 (2011) 1952–1968.
[11] D. Misiulia, A.G. Andersson, T.S. Lundstrom, Effects of the inlet angle on the flow
pattern and pressure drop of a cyclone with helical-roof inlet, Chem. Eng. Res. Des.
102 (2015) 307–321.
[12] D. Misiulia, A.G. Andersson, T.S. Lundstrom, Effects of the inlet angle on the col-
lection efficiency of a cyclone with helical-roof inlet, Powder Technol. 305 (2017)
48–55.
[13] A.N. Huang, N. Maeda, D. Shibata, T. Fukasawa, H. Yoshida, H.P. Kuo, K. Fukui,
Influence of a laminarizer at the inlet on the classification performance of a cyclone
separator, Sep. Purif. Technol. 174 (2017) 408–416.
[14] L.S. Brar, K. Elsayed, Analysis and optimization of multi-inlet gas cyclones using
large eddy simulation and artificial neural network, Powder Technol. 311 (2017)
465–483.
[15] M. Siadaty, S. Kheradmand, F. Ghadiri, Study of inlet temperature effect on single
and double inlets cyclone performance, Adv. Powder Technol. 28 (2017)
1459–1473.
[16] L.S. Brar, R.P. Sharma, Effect of varying diameter on the performance of industrial
scale gas cyclone dust separators, Mater. Today:. Proc. 2 (2015) 3230–3237.
[17] M. Wasilewski, L.S. Brar, Optimization of the geometry of cyclone separators used
in clinker burning process: a case study, Powder Technol. 313 (2017) 293–302.
[18] L.S. Brar, R.P. Sharma, K. Elsayed, The effect of the cyclone length on the perfor-
mance of Stairmand high-efficiency cyclone, Powder Technol. 286 (2015) 668–677.
[19] A.J. Hoekstra, Gas flow field and collection efficiency of cyclone separators, (Ph.D.
thesis), Technical University Delft, 2000.
[20] L.S. Brar, R.P. Sharma, R. Dwivedi, Effect of vortex finder diameter on flow field
and collection efficiency of cyclone separators, Part. Sci. Technol. 33 (2014) 34–40.
[21] K.S. Lim, H.S. Kim, K.W. Lee, Characteristics of the collection efficiency for a cy-
clone with different vortex finder shapes, J. Aerosol Sci. 35 (6) (2004) 743–754.
[22] Q. Li, W. Xu, J. Wang, Y. Jin, Performance evaluation of a new cyclone separator –
Part I experimental results, Sep. Purif. Technol. 141 (2015) 53–58.
[23] F.J. de Souza, R.V. Salvo, D.M. Martins, Simulation of the performance of small
283
Separation and Purification Technology 207 (2018) 269–283
cyclone separators through the use of Post Cyclones (PoC) and annular overflow
ducts, Sep. Purif. Technol. 142 (2015) 71–82.
[24] F.J. de Souza, R.V. Salvo, D.M. Martins, Effects of the gas outlet duct length and
shape on the performance of cyclone separators, Sep. Purif. Technol. 142 (2015)
90–100.
[25] J. Chen, X. Liu, Simulation of a modified cyclone separator with a novel exhaust,
Sep. Purif. Technol. 73 (2010) 100–105.
[26] A. Kępa, Division of outlet flow in a cyclone vortex finder—The CFD calculations,
Sep. Purif. Technol. 75 (2010) 127–131.
[27] K. Elsayed, Design of a novel gas cyclone vortex finder using the adjoint method,
Sep. Purif. Technol. 142 (2015) 274–286.
[28] B. Pei, L. Yang, K. Dong, Y. Jiang, X. Du, B. Yang, The effect of cross-shaped vortex
finder on the performance of cyclone separator, Powder Technol. 313 (2017)
135–144.
[29] Y. Wakizono, K. Maeda, K. Fukui, H. Yoshida, Effect of ring shape attached on upper
outlet pipe on fine particle classification of gas-cyclone, Sep. Purif. Technol. 141
(2015) 84–93.
[30] D. Misiulia, K. Elsayed, A.G. Andersson, Geometry optimization of a deswirler for
cyclone separator in terms of pressure drop using CFD and artificial neural network,
Sep. Purif. Technol. 185 (2017) 10–23.
[31] F. Parvaz, S.H. Hosseini, G. Ahmadi, K. Elsayed, Impacts of the vortex finder ec-
centricity on the flow pattern and performance of a gas cyclone, Sep. Purif. Technol.
187 (2017) 1–13.
[32] K. Elsayed, Optimization of the cyclone separator geometry for minimum pressure
drop using Co-Kriging, Powder Technol. 269 (2015) 409–424.
[33] K. Elsayed, C. Lacor, Optimization of the cyclone separator geometry for minimum
pressure drop using mathematical models and CFD simulations, Chem. Eng. Sci. 65
(22) (2010) 6048–6058.
[34] K. Elsayed, C. Lacor, Modeling and Pareto optimization of gas cyclone separator
performance using RBF type artificial neural networks and genetic algorithms,
Powder Technol. 217 (2012) 84–99.
[35] G. Gronald, J.J. Derksen, Simulating turbulent swirling flow in a gas cyclone: A
comparison of various modeling approaches, Powder Technol. 205 (2011)
160–171.
[36] M. Wasilewski, Analysis of the effect of counter-cone location on cyclone separator
efficiency, Sep. Purif. Technol. 179 (2012) 236–247.
[37] M. Wasilewski, Analysis of the effects of temperature and the share of solid and gas
phases on the process of separation in a cyclone suspension preheater, Sep. Purif.
Technol. 168 (2016) 114–123.
[38] M. Wasilewski, J. Duda, Multicriteria optimisation of first-stage cyclones in the
clinker burning system by means of numerical modelling and experimental re-
search, Powder Technol. 289 (2016) 143–158.
[39] J.H. Ferziger, M. Perić, Computational Methods for Fluid Dynamics, third ed.,
Springer-Verlag, 2002.
[40] C.J. Stairmand, The design and performance of cyclone separators, Ind. Eng. Chem.
29 (1951) 356–383.
[41] J.J. Derksen, Separation performance predictions of a Stairmand high-efficiency
cyclone, fluid mechanics and transport phenomenon, AICHE J. 49 (6) (2003)
1359–1371.
[42] H. Yoshida, Y. Inada, K. Fukui, T. Yamamoto, Improvement of gas-cyclone perfor-
mance by use of local fluid flow control method, Powder Technol. 193 (2009) 6–14.
[43] K. Elsayed, C. Lacor, Modeling, analysis and optimization of air cyclones using
artificial neural network, response surface methodology and CFD simulation ap-
proaches, Powder Technol. 212 (1) (2011) 115–133.
[44] B. Zhao, Y. Su, Artificial neural network-based modeling of pressure drop coeffi-
cient for cyclone separators, Chem. Eng. Res. Design 88 (2010) 606–613.
[45] K. Elsayed, S. Abraham, M. Raisee, C. Lacor, The application of support vector
machines in modeling and optimization of plate fin heat sink for electronic appli-
cations, in: 1st Aviation Engineering Innovations Conference, Luxor, Egypt, 2015.
[46] K. Elsayed, A gentle introduction to surrogate models and related issues (sampling,
screening and updating), Technical report, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels,
Belgium, 2014.
[47] M. Morris, Factorial sampling plans for preliminary computational experiments,
Technometrics 33 (2) (1991) 161–174.
[48] A. J. Hoekstra, A. T. Israël, J. J. Derksen, H. E. A. Van den Akker, The application of
laser diagnostics to cyclonic flow with vortex precession, in: Int. Symp. Applications
of Laser Techniques to Fluid Mechanics, Lisbon, 1998, pp. 4.3.1–4.3.8.
[49] J. Jeong, F. Hussain, On the identification of a vortex, J. Fluid Mech. 285 (1995)
69–94.