Flow in a Hydrocyclone

Application ID: 49271


Cyclones are used in a variety of applications ranging from the mining industry to vacuum cleaners. The flow in a cyclone is characterized by a very strong swirl, which makes it difficult to simulate. In this tutorial example, the v2-f turbulence model is used to simulate the flow in a hydrocyclone.

The v2-f turbulence model, which is an extension of the k-ε turbulence model, provides highly accurate solutions for flows with strong turbulence anisotropy. This model successfully captures the flow pattern, including the free vortex, which is inherently difficult in cyclone simulations and is largely impossible to perform with standard two-equation turbulence models.

The resulting velocity field and pressure drops between the inlets and the two outlets are both in qualitative and quantitative agreement with results from similar designs in literature.

For more details on this example and the v2-f turbulence model, see a related blog post: "How to Use the v2-f Turbulence Model in the CFD Module".

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products: