Hydrodynamics Investigation of the Gas Centrifuge

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Chemical Engineering Department, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, I.R. IRAN

2 Process Development and Equipment Technology Division, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI), Tehran, I.R. IRAN

Abstract

Regard to the extensive applications of gas centrifuges to remove gas pollutants, detailed knowledge of the flow behavior inside a gas centrifuge is important and necessary to properly design and optimization of its operation. In this research, gas centrifuge hydrodynamic and heat transfer phenomena have been simulated in unsteady state condition, three dimensional and supposing gas phase as compressible flow using CFD technique. According to high speed rotation of gas centrifuge outer wall, Multiple Rotating Reference Frame (MRF) approach applying k-ε RNG and RSM turbulence model was implemented in computational model. Computational model results include pressure, velocity, temperature profile as well as fluid flow pattern in the gas centrifuge. Comparing the CFD simulation results applying the RNG k-ε and RSM turbulence models, indicate that there are little difference between the velocity and radial pressure of the fluid. Hence, considering the high computational cost of the RSM model, the RNG k-ε turbulence model seems efficient in determining the turbulent fluid characteristics in gas centrifuges. The CFD simulation results approved that fluid swirl in gas centrifuge, feed inlet as well as upper and bottom scoops, extremely affects fluid flow pattern and axial gas velocity.

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References

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