Sustainable separation system for pulsating and multiphase turbulent flow in gas-liquid cylindrical cyclone

As oil fields and steam power plants develop further, the separation of gas particles and liquid droplets presents significant challenges. Cyclone separators, as a type of high-efficiency and low-volume separators, are widely used in the separation of gas-liquid flows. In this study, the steady-state performance of the cyclone separator under pulsed and turbulent flow conditions at the outlet of two-phase gas-liquid cylindrical cyclones was simulated using three-dimensional discrete phase model and validated with experimental results from the cyclone constructed. The effect of pulsating output and turbulent flow fluctuations on the separation efficiency and the reduction of unwanted phenomena of gas transport from the lower outlet and liquid transport from the upper outlet were investigated. The innovation in the geometry of these separators were experimentally evaluated and the effect of various geometric parameters including the length of the cyclone below the inlet, the length of the cyclone above the inlet, the diameter of the cyclone and the frequency of the outlet valve were analyzed. Through systematic experimentation and numerical analysis, in addition to reducing the gas carry-under value to zero, the best upper and lower pipe heights of 400 and 1300 mm, respectively, and the best upper outlet diameter of 40 mm were achieved. Also, in addition to reducing the gas carry-under value to zero and controlling the liquid carry-over value through the separation process under the pulse pressure range at an optimal frequency, the best closing and opening times of the pulse outlet valve were 3 and 1 second, respectively.