Effects of Surface Roughness on the Performance of Tangential Inlet Cyclone Separators

This study is carried out to investigate the effects of surface roughness on the flow field and cyclone performance. The flow inside the cyclone separator is modeled as a three-dimensional turbulent continuous gas flow with solid particles as a discrete phase. The continuous gas flow is predicted by solving the governing equations by using the Reynolds Stress turbulence model, and the modeling of the particle motions is based on a Lagrangian approach. The results of the numerical simulations are compared with experimental data as well as with the results of mathematical models. Analysis of computed results shows that increase of relative roughness due to corrosion, wear, or accumulation of particles on the inner walls considerably influences the tangential velocity, cyclone separation efficiency, and cyclone pressure drop especially for high inlet velocities. Decreases in cyclone collection efficiency and pressure drop with the increase in surface roughness are found to be more pronounced for high values of relative roughness.