Work

Numerical Investigation of the Flow Pattern and the Heat Transfer in Divergent Vortex Tubes for Cyclone Cooling Applications

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This article investigates the flow field and the heat transfer in divergent vortex tubes for cyclone cooling applications. Previous studies have focused on configurations with constant or convergent geometries, while the effects of geometric divergence on cyclonic flow structures have received little attention. In the present work, axial diverging cyclonic flows are analyzed using delayed detached eddy simulations (DDES) in combination with the Spalart–Allmaras turbulence model implemented in OpenFOAM and are compared to reference cases of constant cross section cyclone cooling. The simulations reveal distinct modifications of the flow structure and the heat transfer induced by the geometric divergence. Grid independence of the numerical results is demonstrated to ensure numerical robustness. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements are conducted for validation, and key flow quantities are quantitatively compared with the numerical predictions.

Source: Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications

DOI: 10.1115/1.4072006

Authors: Lukas-Maximilian Loidold, Bernhard Weigand

Institution: University of Stuttgart

Language: English

Topic: Cyclone Separators and Fluid Dynamics

Subfield: Computational Mechanics

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Award: G5045048667