Numerical Study of Internal Flow Field in a Disc Stack Centrifuge Based on Mixture-PBM Model

Abstract

Disc stack centrifuge belongs to one kind of sedimentation centrifuge, widely used in the environmental protection, pharmacy, and chemical industries, etc. The flow process inside the disc stack centrifuge seriously affects the separation efficiency. However, the flow process inside the disc stack centrifuge and its influence on the separation efficiency have not yet been detailed. We plan to study the flow process of oil and water phases inside the disc stack centrifuge and to explore the process of fragmentation and accumulation of water droplets. In this study, the Mixture-PBM (Population Balance Model) model is used to numerically simulate the two-phase flow of oil and water in the disc stack centrifuge and compare it with the tests. The research found that with the increase in rotational speed, the separation efficiency rises in both the test and numerical simulation results, and the difference between the test and simulation results is below 1%. The effect of ribs on the flow is considered, and the results show that the hysteresis of the liquid flow in the disc stack centrifuge is significantly reduced after considering the ribs, and the numerical simulation results can reach 98% of the theoretical results. Fluid entering the separation channel from the neutral pore creates a vortex, and as the dimensionless number λ increases, the degree of deviation of the fluid’s trajectory from the generatrix increases. The circumferential and radial velocities in the separation channel appear large in the center and small near the wall. The water content in the rising channel gradually decreases, and 90% of the water finishes settling in the distributor. The processing volume of the separation channel in each layer shows a small bottom layer, a large top layer, and a uniform law in the middle. The coalescence of water droplets occurs mainly in the separation channel, as found by analyzing the laws of the internal flow of the disc stack centrifuge, which provides the basis for improving the structure of the disc stack centrifuge, increasing the separation efficiency and reducing the floor space.