Numerical simulation of swirling separation for supersonic natural gas separator

The wall profiles of supersonic natural gas separator, which determine the flow field characteristic of separator, have important effects on condensation behavior and gas-droplets separation efficiency. However, there was no effective design method reported. Numerical research was made to study the radial flow field structure and condensation characteristic of the inner expanding separator. The results showed that, the rotation speed, pressure and temperature presented different radial distribution in different section. The temperature on inner side of accelerated channel was lower, and the component condensation would start at the inner side of the channel which make the gas-droplets separation difficult. Therefore, optimization design was necessary to improve separator efficiency.