Communications

Experimental Investigation of Flow Patterns in Cyclones with Conventional and Symmetrical Inlet Geometries
By Bingtao Zhao* The gas flow patterns in two different cyclone separators with conventional and symmetrical inlet geometries are analyzed and compared. Based on the results of experimental investigations of tangential velocity, axial velocity and static pressure distribution in these separators, the similarities and differences between the flow patterns are discussed. Furthermore, the influence of the inlet geometry on the flow patterns as well as the mechanism of gas-particle separation and pressure drop are evaluated. conventional and symmetrical inlet geometries are measured with a five-hole Pitot tube, and the flow patterns are analyzed and compared.

2 Experimental
Experimental measurements were performed in a 0.30 mdiameter Staimand high efficiency cyclone equipped with two different inlet geometries. Tangential velocity, axial velocity and static pressure were tested with a five-hole Pitot tube and five digital micromanometers in four representative cross sections of z = 0.20, 0.40, 0.70, and 1.00 m, with z/D = 0.67, 1.33, 2.33, and 3.33; each radius had about seven test points1). Cyclone configurations and measured sections are shown in Figs. 1a) and b). The cyclone inlet velocity was fixed at a constant value of 20.18 m/s. All tests were carried out at a mean atmospheric pressure of 99.93 KPa, an ambient temperature of 293 K and a relative humidity of 70 %, respectively. To express the experimental results more obviously and conveniently, the experimental data were handled by a nondimensional method and presented with a mean value. Reproducibility of the original data was found to be within about 5 %.

1 Introduction
Cyclone separators are widely used in gas-particle separation in the fields of both industrial application and aerosol sampling. Recently, a new cyclone separator with symmetrical inlet design has been developed to improve the cyclone performance [1]. To describe the mechanism of gas-particle separation and pressure drop more clearly, it is essential to evaluate the flow pattern in the cyclone separator. A number of representative experimental researches on flow patterns in cyclones are reported in the literature. Linden [2] studied early the flow patterns in cyclones experimentally, he drew a detailed 3D velocity profile. Wei et al. [3] measured the velocity distribution in a cyclone tube with a Pitot tube. Wakelin [4] inserted a hot film anemometer and riser into a cyclone, but did not resolve the total velocity he obtained in the components. Garwood et al. [5] used a two-component, two-color fiber optic LDA system with an Argon ion laser to measure the tangential and axial velocities in a cyclone. Patterson and Munz [6] used a five-hole probe to detect the radial profiles of the gas velocity in a cyclone, and drew conclusions about the flow from observing the striation pattern of a dust on the cyclone wall. Peng et al. [7] determined the flow patterns of two types of cyclones, a conventional cyclone and a swirling tube, by LDA. Further investigations were carried out by [811]. In this work, the tangential velocity, the axial velocity and the static pressure in two different cyclone separators with
[*] Dr. B. Zhao (zhaobingtao@mail.dhu.edu.cn), Institute of Chemical Process Equipment, College of Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, No. 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, China. DOI: 10.1002/ceat.200500088

Figure 1. Configurations and measured sections of cyclones with (a) conventional inlet geometry and (b) symmetrical inlet geometry.

3 Results and Discussion

3.1 Tangential Velocity Figs. 2a) and b) show the tangential velocity distributions as a function of the radial position in the conventional and
1) List of symbols at the end of the paper.

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Communications the conventional cyclone, but up to about 1.7 times for the symmetrical cyclone. This indicates that the gradient of the tangential velocity in the symmetrical cyclone is relatively lower than in the conventional cyclone. Further, the relationship between tangential velocity and radial position in the effective separation region (outer vortex) can be usually written as: mt rn = const (1)

where the vortex exponent n is given theoretically by [12]: 4   5 T 0X3 0X14 (2) n 1 1 0X67D 283 In the present work, the vortex exponent n evaluated by fitting experimental data is 0.63 for the conventional and 0.70 for the symmetrical inlet cyclone while, calculated by Eq. (2), it is 0.56 for both cyclones. These differences also reflect the effect of inlet geometry on the flow patterns in a cyclone.

3.2 Axial Velocity Figs. 3a) and b) show the axial velocity distributions in both the conventional and the symmetrical inlet cyclone. The axial velocity is directed downstream near the wall and upstream in the center region. This indicates that the shape of the axial velocity curves is similar in both types of cyclones. Further, in terms of Fig. 3c), although there is an insignificant difference in maximum axial velocity between the two cyclones, the axial velocity distribution in the symmetrical inlet cyclone presents a better symmetrical characteristic at the bottom of the cone, as distinct from the conventional inlet cyclone.

3.3 Static Pressure Figs. 4a) and b) illustrate the static pressure distributions in the different inlet cyclones. For each cyclone, the static pressure roughly coincides in the different measured sections. However, as shown in Fig. 4c), the symmetrical inlet increases the static pressure, especially the minimum static pressure in the inner flow from 16 to 12 at section z/D = 1.33. This could reduce the radial gradient of the static pressure in the cyclone.

Figure 2. Tangential velocity profiles in cyclones: (a) with conventional inlet geometry, (b) with symmetrical inlet geometry, and (c) comparison at z/D = 1.33.

in the symmetrical inlet cyclone. For each cyclone, the tangential velocity distribution is a Rankine type vortex with a quasi-free vortex in the outer and a quasi-forced vortex in the inner part. The maximum tangential velocities measured at radial positions and also the magnitudes of the maximum tangential velocities measured at different axial positions are roughly constant. However, there are differences between the conventional and the symmetrical inlet cyclone. A comparison of the tangential velocity profiles at section z/D = 1.33 is illustrated in Fig. 2c). According to this figure, the maximum tangential velocity can be up to about 2.0 times of the inlet velocity for 970

3.4 Influence on Cyclone Performance According to the observations described above, the decrease of the maximum value with the gradient of the tangential velocity and the increase of the minimum value of the static pressure show that the symmetrical inlet geometry can reduce the swirling kinetic energy and the internal frichttp://www.cet-journal.de Chem. Eng. Technol. 2005, 28, No. 9

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Communications

Figure 3. Axial velocity profiles in cyclones: (a) with conventional inlet geometry, (b) with symmetrical inlet geometry, and (c) comparison at z/D = 1.33.

Figure 4. Static pressure profiles in cyclones: (a) with conventional inlet geometry, (b) with symmetrical inlet geometry, and (c) comparison at z/D = 1.33.

tion losses. However, the symmetrical inlet, as a part of the cyclone separator, also yields local and friction energy losses. The final results of both the positive and negative effect may lead to an approximately equal pressure drop in the two different cyclones. Moreover, it is expected that particles introduced into the cyclone with symmetrical inlet will easily be collected from the fluid flow because they only have to move a short distance, and especially, as a consequence of using the symmetrical inlet, it could give an outer dense and an inner dilute particle concentration distribution in the centrifugal field and make the particle separate from the fluid before entering the main body of the cyclone. These results
Chem. Eng. Technol. 2005, 28, No. 9 http://www.cet-journal.de

correspond with the study conducted by [1], and provide the possibility of increasing the cyclone efficiency without significantly increasing the pressure drop by improving the inlet geometry of the cyclone.

4 Conclusions
The main flow pattern parameters including tangential velocity, axial velocity and static pressure distribution have been measured and compared in two cyclones with different inlet geometries, with the exception of the radial velocity 971

 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Communications which is difficult to measure directly due to its sensitivity. The results demonstrate that the symmetrical inlet geometry as well as pressure drop and particle separation play an important role in the cyclone separator. Further investigations including the effects of turbulence characteristics and particle load on the flow pattern are required in order to more accurately reveal the mechanism of pressure drop and particle separation in the symmetrical inlet cyclone.
Received: March 18, 2005 [K 0088]

Application of a Capillary Microreactor for Selective Hydrogenation of a,b-Unsaturated Aldehydes in Aqueous Multiphase Catalysis*
By Ycel nal, Martin Lucas, and Peter Claus* The direct regioselective hydrogenation of a,b-unsaturated aldehydes in aqueous multiphase catalysis was investigated in a capillary microreactor with channel diameters ranging from 500 to 1000 lm. By connecting two mixers in line, a regular and stable alternating plug flow behavior could be generated, allowing accurate measurement of the plug geometry and hence the calculation of the specific surface area relevant for mass transport. These parameters are essential for reliable kinetic modeling of multiphase reaction systems containing microkinetic as well as transport terms.

Symbols used
a b B D De h H L n r R S T v [m] [m] [m] [m] [m] [m] [m] [m] [] [m] [m] [m] [K] [m/s] inlet height inlet width particle outlet diameter cyclone body diameter gas outlet diameter cyclone cylinder height cyclone height natural length of cyclone outer vortex exponent radial dimension cyclone body radius gas outlet duct length gas temperature gas velocity

1 Introduction
The employment of microreactors instead of conventional reactors for performing kinetic and high throughput experiments [1] has proven very fruitful in the past years. Special emphasis is being placed on high heat and mass transport rates in microreactors due to an enhanced specific surface area [24]. This important feature of microreactors is also appreciated when carrying out reactions comprising multiple phases. For example, the direct fluorination of aromatics being a highly exothermic reaction can be carried out isothermally even under relatively harsh reaction conditions. Compared to conventional reactors, operated at relatively mild conditions because of safety reasons, improved spacetime yields can be achieved [57]. Microreactors even allow examination of heterogeneous catalysts by using microstructured plates coated with the catalyst by an appropriate method. The fluid phase passes through the microchannels and reacts over the catalyst. In the past years, special fluid dynamic characteristics in microchannels have motivated some research groups to successfully carry out L/L-biphase reactions in capillaries with channel diameters less than 1000 lm [811]. By pumping the two immiscible liquids via two separate feed lines and bringing them together in an appropriate mixer (T or Y mixer), an alternating plug flow of the two liquid phases is generated. Since channel walls are very close, resulting Re numbers are small and laminar flow characteristics within the plugs are obtained. The geometry of the plugs depends on
[*] Lecture presented at the DECHEMA/GVC Annual Meeting, Karlsruhe (Germany), Oct. 1214, 2004. [**] Dipl.-Ing. Y. nal, Dipl.-Ing. M. Lucas, Prof. Dr. P. Claus (claus@ct. chemie.tu-darmstadt.de), TU Darmstadt, Fachbereich Chemie, ErnstBerl-Institut, Technische Chemie II, Petersenstr. 20, D-64287 Darmstadt, Germany.

Subscripts in r s t cyclone inlet radial coordinate direction static pressure tangential coordinate direction

References
[1] B. Zhao, H. Shen, Y. Kang, Powder Technol. 2004, 145 (1), 47. [2] A. J. ter Linden, Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. 1949, 160, 129. [3] Y. Wei, Y. Jin, Z. Ji, M. Shi, in Proc. of INTERPEC, Beijing, China, 1991. [4] R. Wakelin, Ph. D. Thesis, University of Canterbury 1992. [5] D. R. Garwood et al., in Filtech Conf., Horsham, UK, 1993. [6] P. A. Patterson, R. J. Munz, Can. J. Chem. Eng. 1996, 74, 213. [7] W. Peng, A. C. Hoffmann, P. J. A. J. Boot et al., Powder Technol. 2002, 127, 212. [8] L. X. Zhou, S . L. Soo, Powder Technol. 1990, 63, 45. [9] A. C. Hoffmann, M. de Groot, A. Hospers, Can. J. Chem. Eng. 1996, 74, 464. [10] L. Z. Wang, Q. S. Yan, L. L. Liu, Aerosol Sci. Technol. 2001, 35 (5), 909. [11] S. Obermair, J. Woisetschlager, G. Staudinger, Powder Technol. 2003, 138, 239. [12] R. M. Alexander, Proc. Inst. Min. Met. 1949, 152, 202.

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 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

DOI: 10.1002/ceat.200500147

Chem. Eng. Technol. 2005, 28, No. 9