MODELLING OF HYDROCYCLONES

CFD Modelling Group

Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of British Columbia

Process Simulations Limited

HYDROCYCLONES
OBJECTIVES Accept

 Investigate the flow, particle, and fiber

separation occurring in hydrocyclones
Feed
 Use suitable turbulence models for
high swirl fluid flows
 Develop mathematical models to
compute fiber trajectories in complex
flows
 Model separation and fractionation
according to properties in hydro-
cyclones
Reject
HYDROCYCLONES
MODEL CHARACTERISTICS
 3-D turbulent flow is solved in
hydrocyclones using k -  turbulence model
with curvature correction
 Lagrangian method for tracking spherical
particles three-dimensionally in
hydrocyclones to obtain separation curves
 Spherical particles are replaced in
lagrangian model with rigid fibre, able to
swell, and ignoring fibre rotation
HYDROCYCLONES
NUMERICAL METHODS
 Develop 3D method using cylindrical curvilinear grid
- combination of cylindrical co-ordinates and non-
orthogonal grids
 Take advantage of the cylindrical co-ordinates to
calculate the physical geometrical quantities and
curvature source terms accurately
 Circular co-ordinates are used to account for the
curved surface of each control cell in the calculation
of geometrical quantities
 The centrifugal force is used to replace the curvature
source term in the angular momentum equation
HYDROCYCLONES
TURBULENCE MODEL
 The standard k- model fails to produce
reasonable solution
 Use modified k- model proposed by Launder
- model adds correction term in dissipation equation

Rit = Turbulent Richardson number

u = tangential velocity
r = radial
HYDROCYCLONES
Particle Trajectory
 Traced by numerical integration of the particle
velocity calculated from the fluid velocity and
particle slip velocity
 Particle slip velocity is solved from the dynamic
force balance in radial, tangential & axial directions

u = tangential velocities
Us = settling velocities
1
(  p   l )V p g   lU xs2 C D Ap Vp= particle volume
2 Ap= projected area
HYDROCYCLONES

 Turbulence model is proven to be critical

 Modified k- model is identified as a good
alternative for high swirl flows
 Model is accurate for both flow simulation
and separation prediction
 Model can be used to analyse performance
of industrial hydrocyclones
- design, separation, optimisation
 3 Different Hydrocyclones

Dimensions Cyclone 1 Cyclone 2 Cyclone 3

(in mm)
Cyclone Diameter 76 75 75
Inlet Diameter 21 25 25
Cylindrical Length 51 75 75
Vortex Finder Diameter 26 25 22
Vortex Finder Length 30 50 50
Spigot Diameter 12 15 11
Cone Angle 11 20 20
COMPARISON (PARTICLES)
FIBER FRACTIONATION

(a)
0.04

0.035

0.03

0.025

0.02

r
0.015

0.01

0.005

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
x

(b)
p
1.52431E+07
0.04 1.42361E+07
1.32292E+07
0.035 1.22222E+07
1.12153E+07
0.03 1.02083E+07
9.20135E+06
8.1944E+06
0.025 7.18745E+06
6.1805E+06
0.02 5.17355E+06
r

4.1666E+06
3.15965E+06
0.015 2.1527E+06
1.14575E+06
0.01

0.005

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
x

(c)
sw
0.04 2.84531
2.65563
2.46594
0.035 2.27625
2.08656
0.03 1.89688
1.70719
0.025 1.5175
1.32781
1.13813
0.02
r

0.948438
0.75875
0.015 0.569063
0.379375
0.189688
0.01

0.005

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
x

(a) Velocity vectors, (b) pressure contours, and (c) swirl velocity contours in
a hydrocyclone
FIBER FRACTIONATION
1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
100 100

90 Fiber A
90

80 80

70 * 70
m)
(m dia
gth
10

carried over (%)

me
len 20
te r (m densityrel = 1.04 60 Fiber B 60
5
30
icr
on
100
40
s)
50
50 50
60

70
80
100
40 40
cov
89.625
* A densityrel
carried over (%)

B densityrel
60
80
77.675 30 30
65.725
carried over (%)

40
60
53.775 20 20
41.825
29.875
20 10 10
40
17.925
5.975
0 0
0
20
1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
10

20
densityrel
dia
me
30
0
densityrel = 1.14
te 40
r (m
icr
m)
50

on
densityrel = 1.42 s) 60
5
gth
(m Influence of the particle density on
len
70

fractionation

Separation on diameter and length as function of the

particle density
 FIBER FRACTIONATION
ity rel dia 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
ns me cov 100 100
de 1.2 20 te r (m 22.2
icr
1.4 on 20.3857
100
40
s) 90 90
18.5714
60 Fiber A
16.7571
100 14.9429 80 80
13.1286
*
carried over (%)

11.3143 70 70
9.5
50

carried over (%)

7.68571
carried over (%)

5.87143 60 60
50 4.05714
2.24286 50 Fiber B 50
0.428571
-1.38571
0
-3.2
40 40
*
20
dia 0 30 30
me
te r (m 40

icr A diameter
on 1.2 20 20
s) 60 ity rel B diameter
ns
1.4 de
10 10
1.1
densityrel

0 0
1.2 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
diameter (microns)
1.3

1.4
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Influence of the particle diameter on
diameter (microns)
fractionation

The difference between particles carried over at t = 20°C and t

= 45°C. The yellow grid represents particles carried over at t =
20°C
 FIBER FRACTIONATION
Influence of coarseness
on separation based on specific surface
100

90
Coarseness and Specific surface influence on separation coarseness = 0.1 mg/m
coarseness = 0.2 mg/m
carried over (%) carried over (%) 80
coarseness = 0.3 mg/m
57.7 coarseness = 0.4 mg/m
70 coarseness = 0.5 mg/m
54.3

carried over (%)

50.8 60
47.4
50
60
44.0
40.6 40
50 37.1
30
33.7
40
30.3 20
30
26.9 Particle length = 2 mm
Shape factor s3 = 1.5
23.4 10
20 1000 20.0
0
800
16.6 200 400 600
2
800 1000
10 specific surface (m /kg)
13.2
600
0
0
9.8
0.1 400
0.2
0.3
specific surface (m2/kg) Influence of the particle coarseness
0.4
200
coarseness (mg/m) on separation based on specific
surface
The combined influence of coarseness and specific surface on
separation
 FIBER FRACTIONATION
Influence of particle length on fractionation
100
Reference data:
Influence of particle length on separation based on diameter 90 3
Fiber A: L = 3.1 mm; density = 1050 kg/m3; d = 48 microns
Fiber B: L = 3.5 mm; density = 1100 kg/m ; d = 39 microns
100 80

90 70

carried over (%)

Fiber A
80 60 Fiber B

70 50 *
carried under (%)

*
60 40 Reference lines:
3
(a) density = 1050 kg/m ; d = 48 microns
50 30 (b) density = 1100 kg/m3; d = 39 microns
3
(c) density = 1140 kg/m ; d = 12 microns
40 20 (d)
3
density = 1140 kg/m ; d = 45 microns

30 10
3
density = 1100 kg/m , L = 1 mm
20 density = 1100 kg/m3, L = 6 mm 0
3
density = 1050 kg/m , L = 1 mm 1 2 3 4 5 6
density = 1050 kg/m3, L = 6 mm
10 length (mm)
0
2E-05 4E-05 6E-05 8E-05 0.0001
Influence of the particle length on
diameter (m)
fractionation

Influence of particle length on separation based on diameter

 FIBER FRACTIONATION
Separation as function of entry position for fiber A (z = 5 mm)
25
- Tangential feed -

20
Separation as function of entry position for fiber A (z = 0 mm)

xaxial (mm)
20
- Tangential feed -
15 downward

15
upward 10
xaxial (mm)

downward upward
10

5
0 10 20 30 40
ytangential (mm)
5 Separation as function of entry position for fiber B (z = 5 mm)
- Tangential feed -
25

0
0 10 20 30 40
ytangential (mm) 20
Separation as function of entry position for fiber B (z = 0 mm)

xaxial (mm)
20
- Tangential feed -
downward
15

15

upward 10
xaxial (mm)

downward upward
10

5
0 10 20 30 40
ytangential (mm)
5

Influence of entry particle position on separation and

0
0 10 20 30 40
fractionation (Fibre A - Early Wood, Fibre B - Late Wood) for a
ytangential (mm) 5 mm downward entry feed (z = 5 mm)

Influence of entry particle position on separation and

fractionation (Fibre A - Early Wood, Fibre B - Late Wood) for
an entry feed at the top of hydrocyclone (z = 0)
BENEFITS
 Increase operating efficiency for hydrocyclones
 Optimize the hydrocyclones design
 Evaluate the influence on fractionation of fiber
wet density, fiber diameter, fiber length, and
fiber specific surface
 Evaluate the influence of the fluid temperature on
fractionation
 Predict the fractionation performance of a hydro-
cyclone for given fiber properties
COPY OF PRESENTATION

 Go to www.psl.bc.ca
 Press on “FTP” from “Download”
menu
 Go to directory “Hydrocyclone”
 Download files