CFD Modeling of Hydrocylone

2009

The modeling of hydrocyclone was the first research project that I worked on. During my master thesis I modeled the separation behavior of this device through experiments, analytical models and CFD for optimization of separation in an iron-processing plant. The Response Surface Method of DOE was applied to optimized the effective parameters on the separation efficiency. The video below shows the flow pattern in a transparent lab-scale hydrocyclone that I designed and manufactured during my work.

Using Gambit and Fluent, Large Eddy Simulations (LES) were performed to simulate the flow through the domain. To capture the central air-core the Volume of Fluid, (VOF) was utilized. The videos below show the flow patterns and air-core development inside the computational domain.