Modeling and Numerical Simulation of the Inlet Velocity on Oil–Water Two-Phase Vapor Separation Efficiency by the Hydrocyclone

Influence of Feed Rate on the Performance of Hydrocyclone Flow Field

In order to clarify the influence of feed rate on a hydrocyclone flow field, numerical simulation was employed to model the influence of feed rate on the pressure field, velocity field, air column, turbulent kinetic energy, and split ratio. The results revealed that static pressure, tangential velocity, and radial velocity increased with an increase in the feed rate. When the feed rate at the inlet increases from 1 m/s to 5 m/s, the static pressure increases from 5.49 kPa to 182.78 kPa, tangential velocity increases from 1.97 m/s to 11.16 m/s, and radial velocity increases from 0.20 m/s to 1.16 m/s demonstrating that a high feed rate facilitated the strengthening separation of the flow field. Meanwhile, with the increase in the feed rate, the split ratio of the hydrocyclone decreased, indicating that the concentration effect of the hydrocyclone improved. Additionally, the formation time of the air column was reduced, and the flow field became more stable. Nevertheless, the axial velocity and the turbulent kinetic energy also increased with the increase in the feed rate, and the increase in the axial velocity reduced the residence time of the material in the hydrocyclone, which was not conducive to the improvement of separation accuracy. In addition, the increase in turbulent kinetic energy led to an increase in energy consumption, which was not conducive to the improvement of the comprehensive performance of the hydrocyclone. Therefore, choosing an appropriate feed rate is of great significance to the regulation of the flow field and the improvement of hydrocyclone separation performance.