Axial symmetric flow model for a flat bottom hydrocyclone

Experiments with laser Doppler velocimetry show that, for flat bottom hydrocyclones, the axial velocity field is a function of the radius and a linear function of the axial co-ordinate, while the tangential velocity is a function of the radial co-ordinate only. Based on these results, a physical model is presented, where the flow field is divided in two zones. Zone I corresponds to the feed inlet, which occurs through a ring in the upper portion of the cylinder, the length of which depends on the length of the vortex finder tube. Zone II includes the rest of the cylinder The axial symmetric solution of Reynolds equations for the isotropic turbulent flow leads to two sets of field equations, one for each zone in the hydrocyclone. In zone II, where experimental data were determined, simulation compares favourably with the flow pattern determined experimentally for water in a 100-mm flat bottom hydrocyclone. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.