MODELLING OF HYDROCYCLONES

CFD Modelling Group

Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of British Columbia
Process Simulations Limited

HYDROCYCLONES
OBJECTIVES

Accept

Investigate the flow, particle, and fiber

separation occurring in hydrocyclones
Feed

Use suitable turbulence models for

high swirl fluid flows

Develop mathematical models to

compute fiber trajectories in complex
flows
Model separation and fractionation
according to properties in hydrocyclones
Reject

HYDROCYCLONES
MODEL CHARACTERISTICS
3-D turbulent flow is solved in
hydrocyclones using k - turbulence model
with curvature correction
Lagrangian method for tracking spherical
particles three-dimensionally in
hydrocyclones to obtain separation curves

Spherical particles are replaced in

lagrangian model with rigid fibre, able to
swell, and ignoring fibre rotation

HYDROCYCLONES
NUMERICAL METHODS
Develop 3D method using cylindrical curvilinear grid

- combination of cylindrical co-ordinates and nonorthogonal grids

Take advantage of the cylindrical co-ordinates to

calculate the physical geometrical quantities and
curvature source terms accurately
Circular co-ordinates are used to account for the
curved surface of each control cell in the calculation
of geometrical quantities
The centrifugal force is used to replace the curvature
source term in the angular momentum equation

HYDROCYCLONES
TURBULENCE MODEL
The standard k- model fails to produce
reasonable solution
Use modified k- model proposed by Launder

model adds correction term in dissipation equation

Rit = Turbulent Richardson number
u = tangential velocity

r = radial

HYDROCYCLONES
Particle Trajectory
Traced by numerical integration of the particle
velocity calculated from the fluid velocity and
particle slip velocity
Particle slip velocity is solved from the dynamic
force balance in radial, tangential & axial directions
u = tangential velocities

Us = settling velocities

1
( p l )V p g lU xs2 CD Ap
2

Vp= particle volume

Ap= projected area

HYDROCYCLONES
Turbulence model is proven to be critical

Modified k- model is identified as a good

alternative for high swirl flows
Model is accurate for both flow simulation
and separation prediction
Model can be used to analyse performance
of industrial hydrocyclones

- design, separation, optimisation

3 Different Hydrocyclones
Dimensions
(in mm)

Cyclone 1 Cyclone 2 Cyclone 3

Cyclone Diameter

76

75

75

Inlet Diameter

21

25

25

Cylindrical Length

51

75

75

Vortex Finder Diameter

26

25

22

Vortex Finder Length

30

50

50

Spigot Diameter

12

15

11

Cone Angle

11

20

20

COMPARISON (PARTICLES)

FIBER FRACTIONATION
(a)
0.04
0.035
0.03

0.025
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.005
0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

(b)
p
1.52431E+07
1.42361E+07
1.32292E+07
1.22222E+07
1.12153E+07
1.02083E+07
9.20135E+06
8.1944E+06
7.18745E+06
6.1805E+06
5.17355E+06
4.1666E+06
3.15965E+06
2.1527E+06
1.14575E+06

0.04
0.035
0.03

0.025
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.005
0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

(c)
sw
2.84531
2.65563
2.46594
2.27625
2.08656
1.89688
1.70719
1.5175
1.32781
1.13813
0.948438
0.75875
0.569063
0.379375
0.189688

0.04
0.035
0.03

0.025
0.02
0.015
0.01
0.005
0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

(a) Velocity vectors, (b) pressure contours, and (c) swirl velocity contours in
a hydrocyclone

FIBER FRACTIONATION
100

1.1

1.2

90

1.3

90

Fiber A

80

10

20

dia
me
te
30

densityrel = 1.04

r (m
icr
on
s)
40

100

50

60

70
80

100

carried over (%)

60

40

60

20

40

carried over (%)

80

cov
89.625
77.675
65.725
53.775
41.825
29.875
17.925
5.975

20
10

20

dia
me
te
30

0
40

r (m
icr
on
s)
50

densityrel = 1.42

60
5
70

gth
len

carried over (%)

gth
len

80

70

m)
(m

70

60

60

Fiber B

50

50

40

A densityrel
B densityrel

30

Separation on diameter and length as function of the

particle density

40
30

20

20

10

10

1.1

1.2
densityrel

1.3

densityrel = 1.14

m)
(m

1.4
100

Influence of the particle density on

fractionation

0
1.4

FIBER FRACTIONATION
dia
me
te

20

1.4
100

r (m
icr
on
40
s)
60
100

carried over (%)

carried over (%)

50

50

10
100

cov
22.2
20.3857
18.5714
16.7571
14.9429
13.1286
11.3143
9.5
7.68571
5.87143
4.05714
2.24286
0.428571
-1.38571
-3.2

30

40

50

60

70
100
90

Fiber A

80

80

70

20

dia
me
te

20

90

carried over (%)

ity rel
ns
de 1.2

70

60

60
Fiber B

50
40

50
40

30

30

40

r (m
icr
on
s)

1.4

A diameter
B diameter

20

1.2

60

ity rel
ns
de

20

10

10

1.2

1.3

1.4
10

20

30

40

50

60

70

diameter (microns)

The difference between particles carried over at t = 20C and t

= 45C. The yellow grid represents particles carried over at t =
20C

densityrel

1.1

0
10

20

30
40
50
diameter (microns)

60

Influence of the particle diameter on

fractionation

0
70

FIBER FRACTIONATION
Influence of coarseness
on separation based on specific surface
100
90

Coarseness and Specific surface influence on separation

carried over (%)
carried over (%)

50
40
30
20

1000
800

10
600
0
0

0.1

0.2

400
0.3

0.4

coarseness (mg/m)

specific surface (m2/kg)

200

The combined influence of coarseness and specific surface on

separation

80
70

carried over (%)

60

57.7
54.3
50.8
47.4
44.0
40.6
37.1
33.7
30.3
26.9
23.4
20.0
16.6
13.2
9.8

coarseness = 0.1
coarseness = 0.2
coarseness = 0.3
coarseness = 0.4
coarseness = 0.5

mg/m
mg/m
mg/m
mg/m
mg/m

60
50
40
30
20
Particle length = 2 mm
Shape factor s3 = 1.5

10
0
200

400

600

800

specific surface (m /kg)

Influence of the particle coarseness

on separation based on specific
surface

1000

FIBER FRACTIONATION
Influence of particle length on fractionation
100
Reference data:

Influence of particle length on separation based on diameter

90
80

90

70

carried over (%)

100

carried under (%)

80
70
60
50

Fiber A

50

Reference lines:

40

(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

20

30

Fiber B

60

30

40

density = 1050 kg/m ; d = 48 microns

density = 1100 kg/m3; d = 39 microns
3
density = 1140 kg/m ; d = 12 microns
3
density = 1140 kg/m ; d = 45 microns

10
density = 1100
density = 1100
density = 1050
density = 1050

20
10
0

Fiber A: L = 3.1 mm; density = 1050 kg/m3; d = 48 microns

Fiber B: L = 3.5 mm; density = 1100 kg/m ; d = 39 microns

2E-05

4E-05

6E-05

kg/m , L = 1
kg/m3, L = 6
3
kg/m , L = 1
kg/m3, L = 6

8E-05

mm
mm
mm
mm

length (mm)
0.0001

diameter (m)

Influence of particle length on separation based on diameter

Influence of the particle length on

fractionation

FIBER FRACTIONATION
Separation as function of entry position for fiber A (z = 5 mm)
- Tangential feed -

25

20

xaxial (mm)

15

xaxial (mm)

20

Separation as function of entry position for fiber A (z = 0 mm)

- Tangential feed -

upward

downward

15

10

upward

downward
10
5

20

30

40

ytangential (mm)
Separation as function of entry position for fiber B (z = 5 mm)
- Tangential feed -

5
25
0

10

20

30

40

ytangential (mm)

20

xaxial (mm)

Separation as function of entry position for fiber B (z = 0 mm)

- Tangential feed -

20

15

xaxial (mm)

10

upward

downward
15

10

upward

downward
10
5

10

20

30

40

ytangential (mm)
5

10

20

30

40

ytangential (mm)

Influence of entry particle position on separation and

fractionation (Fibre A - Early Wood, Fibre B - Late Wood) for
an entry feed at the top of hydrocyclone (z = 0)

Influence of entry particle position on separation and

fractionation (Fibre A - Early Wood, Fibre B - Late Wood) for a
5 mm downward entry feed (z = 5 mm)

BENEFITS
Increase operating efficiency for hydrocyclones
Optimize the hydrocyclones design
Evaluate the influence on fractionation of fiber
wet density, fiber diameter, fiber length, and
fiber specific surface

Evaluate the influence of the fluid temperature on

fractionation
Predict the fractionation performance of a hydrocyclone for given fiber properties

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