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Internal study of the vortex tube using a CFD package.

Author(s) : ALJUWAYHEL N. F., NELLIS G. F., KLEIN S. A.

Summary

A commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) package is used to investigate the energy separation mechanism and flow phenomena within a counter-flow vortex tube. A two-dimensional axi-symmetric CFD model has been developed that exhibits the general behaviour expected from a vortex tube. The model results are compared to experimental data obtained from a laboratory vortex tube operated with room temperature compressed air. The CFD model is subsequently used to investigate the internal thermal-fluid processes that are responsible for the vortex tube's temperature separation behaviour. The model shows that the vortex tube flow field can be divided into three regions that correspond to: flow that will eventually leave through the hot exit (the hot flow region), flow that will eventually leave through the cold exit (cold flow region), and flow that is entrained within the device (re-circulating region). The underlying physical processes are studied by calculating the heat and work transfers through control surfaces defined by the streamlines that separate these three regions. It was found that the energy separation exhibited by the vortex tube can be explained by a work transfer from the cold flow region to the hot flow region. This work transfer is caused by a torque produced by viscous shear acting on a rotating control surface. Heat transfer flows in the opposite direction and therefore tends to reduce the temperature separation effect.

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Details

  • Original title: Internal study of the vortex tube using a CFD package.
  • Record ID : 2005-0709
  • Languages: English
  • Source: 21st IIR International Congress of Refrigeration: Serving the Needs of Mankind.
  • Publication date: 2003/08/17

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