| Effect of Operating Pressure on Coal Particle Breakage and Separation Performance in a Hydrocyclone: An Experimental and CFD Investigation |
| کد مقاله : 1080-IMEC15 (R1) |
| نویسندگان |
|
امیر معبودی * عضو هیات علمی تمام وقت دانشگاه صنعتی سهند تبریز |
| چکیده مقاله |
| Operating pressure strongly influences hydrocyclone performance by affecting the internal flow field and the mechanical environment experienced by particles. This study evaluates the effect of inlet pressure on coal separation, with particular emphasis on particle breakage, using laboratory experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A coal slurry containing approximately 13 wt.% solids was processed in a laboratory hydrocyclone at inlet pressures of 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 kg/cm² (58.8, 78.5, and 98.1 kPa). Overflow and underflow samples were collected under steady-state conditions, subjected to sieve analysis, and used to calculate size-by-size separation efficiencies with water-split corrections. Increasing pressure systematically shifted material toward finer size classes. The overflow/feed fraction increased from 22% at 0.6 kg/cm² to 30% at 0.8 kg/cm² and 36% at 1.0 kg/cm², while the underflow/feed fraction decreased from 78% to 70% and 64%, respectively. The efficiency curves also changed substantially with pressure, indicating a modified apparent classification response. Because the tested coal was friable, the increase in fines was interpreted as evidence of particle breakage rather than solely improved classification. ANSYS CFX simulations reproduced the characteristic upward and downward flow paths, the central air-core region, and localized high-pressure zones near the inlet and opposite wall. These features provide a mechanistic explanation for the observed breakage tendency. Overall, excessive inlet pressure can impair hydrocyclone performance by increasing coal degradation, suggesting that lower operating pressure and inlet-geometry modification should be considered for friable coal feeds. The findings highlight balancing separation intensity against particle preservation when selecting operating conditions for friable feeds. |
| کلیدواژه ها |
| Hydrocyclone, Coal, Operating pressure, Particle breakage, Computational fluid dynamics |
| وضعیت: پذیرفته شده برای ارائه شفاهی |
