Numerical analysis on separation mechanism of oil-water hydrocyclone

The inner flow fluid in a liquid-liquid hydrocyclone for oil separation was simulated using numerical method of computational fluid dynamics(CFD) method.The velocity distribution,the formation and development of the air-core,and trajectory of oil particle motion were investigated by numerical simulation,and the separation mechanism of the oil-water hydrocyclone was discussed.The results indicate that the velocity in the hydrocyclone is three-dimensional asymmetrical distribution,and the generation and the development of the air-core are results from subatmospheric pressure and convective transport.Oil particles move stochastically in the turbulent fluctuate flow filed on the action of radial and axial forces,and some of them are separated and escaped from the overflow tube.The separation efficiency of the oil-water hydrocyclone can be obtained by calculating the ratio of the number of the oil particles discharged from the overflow tube to the total number of the oil particles entered the hydrocyclone by the inlets.It is useful for the study on the influence of hydrocyclone parameters of separation efficiency and the hydrocyclone optimization.