Experimental investigation on separation characteristics of axial cyclone separator

Axial cyclone separator has been widely applied in chemical production as an efficient gas-liquid separation device. In this study, a new axial cyclone separator with integrated swirler and exhaust pipe is designed to achieve the development goal of compact structure for advanced engine, and the distribution characteristics of swirling flow patterns as well as the variation in separation characteristics are investigated under slug flow pattern. Based on flow visualizations and fluctuation characteristics of pressure signals, three typical flow patterns, namely, slug flow, swirling intermittent flow, and swirling annular flow, in the horizontal swirling separation flow are characterized It is investigated how the inlet conditions affect the separation characteristic parameters. The separation purity and extreme points of the air separation efficiency are independent of the inlet liquid flow rate. The separation pressure drop is quadratically related to the inlet air flow rate. Based on the drift-flux model and other methods, the prediction methods for the air separation efficiency and pressure drop are proposed, and the prediction accuracy is within ±20%, which may provide instructions for the practical application of axial cyclone separator.