Design and Analysis of Gas Cyclone with Arc-Shaped Cone Using Bézier Curve for Improved Performance

Abstract

Abstract The research investigates novel gas cyclone separators with curved conical sections, comparing eight configurations with varying curvature sizes. Gas cyclones are traditionally used as particle separators to remove dust from gas streams, aiming to achieve a dust-free gas flow at the exit pipe while recovering particles to the dust outlet. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was employed to model the gas cyclone using the Reynolds stress turbulence model (RSM); the study examines flow fields and pressure losses. It finds that increased curvature correlates with reduced pressure drop. The curved profile is derived from the Bézier curve, characterized by a set of control points determining its shape. This study examines eight cyclone configurations with the intermediate point placed at varying fractions of the main radius: 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 7/8, and the main radius itself. The investigation focuses on the impact of different conical segment shapes on cyclone performance, highlighting how convex variants outperform others at higher flow rates while concave variants exhibit higher pressure drop. The pressure drop in the convex variant with an intermediate point position equal to the main radius decreased by 50%. These findings suggest the potential of the convex variant in certain operating conditions over traditional designs with improved particle capture efficiency.