Study on Characteristics and Operating Parameters of Axial Rotating Hydrocyclone

The axial rotation of the hydrocyclone affects its internal flow characteristics and separating effect directly, as some local applications require the static hydrocyclone rotates about its own axis. Based on CFD, velocity distribution in the axial rotating hydrocyclone is studied. It is shown that as the rotation speed increasing, the tangential velocity improves and its gradient reduces in free vortex region observably, while the radial velocity has an incremental trend in the section of the small cone. The laboratory experiments are carried out for the static hydrocyclone of disposal capacity of 4 m3/h at 100r/min ∼ 300r/min. The relationships among rotation speed, flowrate, pressure drop and separated efficiency are achieved, which agree well with the numerical simulation results. The results indicate that the disposal capacity of hydrocyclone subjected to the rotation wall can be more flexible than that with no-rotating wall, the scope of best disposal capacity gradually enlarges with the increase of rotation speed of wall. Appropriate rise of the rotation speed is favor of the separation efficiency at the steady flowrate, however the increase of the flowrate and rotation speed induces the growth of the hydrocyclone’s pressure drop correspondingly to some extent.