Open Access

ARTICLE

Parametric Study of Bubble Kinematic Behaviour in a Centrifugal Vacuum Separator

Yuan Chen¹, Honggang Duan¹, Fei Yu¹, Xingyu Zhao¹, Han Xu¹, Jun Gao^1,2

1 Shandong University at Weihai, Weihai, China
2 Corresponding Author. Email: shdgj@sdu.edu.cn

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2015, 11(2), 127-142. https://doi.org/10.3970/fdmp.2015.011.127

Abstract

The dynamics of dispersed bubbles in a centrifugal separator are investigated with the aim to improve the efficiency of the system. The prototype separator consists of a rotor, a base, a diverting disc, a shaft, an oil trapping impeller, a central pipe, an inlet section for contaminated oil, an outlet section for purified oil and an air outlet. A hydrodynamic model is developed to predict the complex influence of parameters such as the centrifugal force and vacuum pressure. In particular, three different force models are selected to analyze the effect of the added mass and Basset forces (also including inertia, and the buoyancy and drag forces). The bubble kinematic behaviour is simulated in detail by using a discretephase numerical method. Results show that gas concentration and vacuum pressure can significantly influence the removal of bubbles.

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Keywords

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