Numerical investigation of erosion characteristics of coupling separators with different conical profiles

Solid particles exist widely in liquid-liquid systems. Although a separator coupled cen-trifugal and electric fields can achieve liquid-liquid separation efficiently, the solid par-ticles are usually not considered, and the erosion characteristics are unclear. Thus, in this study, a numerical model was established to investigate the erosion characteristics of coupling devices. Two conical profiles, namely bi-cone and elliptical, were examined. The effect of structural parameters on erosion was investigated, and the relationships be-tween the erosion rate and the inlet velocity, initial drop size and solid loading were ex-plored. The results showed that maximum erosion occurred in the interaction regions of the two cones for the bi-cone, and that the cone with an elliptical profile had a lower erosion rate. The maximum erosion rate depended on the centrifugal force acting on the solid particles and the inertial effect of particles in the mixture. Furthermore, the pre-cessing vortex core was the dominant factor influencing the position, including maximum erosion rate, which depended on the centrifugal force and the vortex core radial deviation. Moreover, the potential reason for the effect of geometric parameters on wall erosion is different. From the perspective of erosion resistance, the optimal values of straight and underflow pipe section diameters and conical structure length for the device with an el-liptical profile cone were 35, 400, and 430 mm. Additionally, increasing inlet velocity, in-itial drop size and solid loading can increase average erosion rate on the walls, and strengthen of breakage effect can indirectly reflect that the increase in erosion rate.(c) 2022 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigated the erosion characteristics of coupling devices using a numerical model. The results showed that maximum erosion occurred in the interaction regions of the two cones for the bi-cone, and that the cone with an elliptical profile had a lower erosion rate. The study also found that increasing inlet velocity, initial drop size, and solid loading can increase average erosion rate on the walls.