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A Lagrangian study of liquid flow in a reverse-flow hydrocyclone using positron emission particle tracking

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Abstract

In this study, the liquid flow in a reverse-flow hydrocyclone is studied experimentally using the Lagrangian approach. Resin beads with densities that are close to the density of the liquid in which they move, i.e., neutral-density particles, are used to model a fluid element in the highly turbulent flow in a hydrocyclone separator and tracked using PEPT with a temporal resolution of up to 0.5 ms. A method of producing neutral-density particles for PEPT was developed. The data processing algorithm was improved for the extra challenging tracking conditions that were encountered. The components of velocity, which reveal the detailed velocity field of the fluid, were calculated from the positions of the tracers. Various noise-removal methods, again to cope with the challenging tracking conditions, were applied and discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The Petromaks program by the Norwegian Research Council and Aker Solutions are gratefully acknowledged for funding this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allegaten 55, 5007, Bergen, Norway

    Yu-Fen Chang & Alex C. Hoffmann

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  1. Yu-Fen Chang
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  2. Alex C. Hoffmann
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Correspondence to Yu-Fen Chang.

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Chang, YF., Hoffmann, A.C. A Lagrangian study of liquid flow in a reverse-flow hydrocyclone using positron emission particle tracking. Exp Fluids 56, 4 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-014-1875-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-014-1875-5

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