The symmetric vortex in a cylindrical cyclone with a flat bottom was studied with the aid of smoke, and was probed for the distribution of the velocity. The smoke studies revealed a laminar regime of flow at very low velocities, the normal turbulent regime of operation, and a new periodic regime of flow in which the vortex turned and attached to the cylindrical wall of the cyclone. A curious core region apparently capable of separating tobacco smoke from the air was also found. The velocity distribution measured in the vortex showed how the flow pattern is strongly influenced by the inlet area of the cyclone.

This paper reports on a study in progress exploring the flow structure in a vortex tube. Flow visualization, using water as a working fluid, was used to reveal the velocity distribution and multi-circulation of the flow within the vortex tube. This research contributes to understanding of the flow behaviour and supports the hypothesis presented by Xue et. al. [3], that cold air is the result of the expansion near the cold nozzle and hot air is the result of air friction during multi-circulation.

methods

An Experimental Study of the Vortex in the Cyclone Separator

Flow visualization to determine the flow structure in a vortex tube

In what follows, an exact Eulerian solution is used to describe the formation of bidirectional vortex motion in a conical chamber. This particular model is applicable to idealized representations of cyclone separators and liquid rocket engines with slowly expanding chamber cross-sections. The bulk fluid motion is assumed to be nonreactive, steady, rotational, inviscid, and incompressible. Following Bloor and Ingham, 1 the spherical Bragg-Hawthorne equation is used to construct a mathematical framework that connects the solution to the swirl number and the cone divergence angle. At the outset, a self-similar formulation is obtained independently of the cone’s finite body length. This enables us to characterize the problem through closedform approximations of the principal flow variables. Among the parameters of interest, the mantle divergence angle and the maximum latitudinal velocity are derived explicitly. The mantle consists of a spinning cone that separates the circumferential inflow region (or outer vortex) from the central outflow (or inner vortex). This interface bisects the fluid domain at 60% of the cone’s divergence half-angle. Its accurate determination is proven asymptotically and used to estimate the crossflow velocity responsible for mass transfer from the outer vortex into the inner region. Finally, results are illustrated while varying the cone’s divergence angle and spatial location in both spherical and polar cylindrical coordinates.

An Experimental Study of the Vortex in the Cyclone Separator

Citations

Flow visualization to determine the flow structure in a vortex tube

Bidirectional Helical Motion in Tapered Rocket Chambers

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