Cyclone separators typically display flow patterns consisting of highly rotational flow and strong streamline curvature. They are very sensitive to the turbulence model and mesh distribution. These guidelines list the basic techniques needed to successfully simulate cyclonic flows.
Mesh
Use a fine, uniform mesh distribution.
On the Mesh Context Toolbar, change the Type to Manual, and assign a constant size. Here is an example of a recommended mesh distribution:
On the Mesh Enhancement dialog make the following settings:
- Number of layers: 12
- Layer factor: 1.20
- Layer gradation: 1.25
The reason such a fine mesh is used near the walls is that we've found that a Y+ value less than 4 is needed for best results.
Solution Settings
On the Solution control dialog (accessed from the Control tab of the Solve dialog), make the following settings:
- Disable Intelligent solution control.
- Click Advection, and select ADV 5.
On the Turbulence dialog (accessed from the Physics tab of the Solve dialog), Change the Turb. model to SST k-omega RC (Smirnov-Menter).
On the Control tab, set the number of iterations to 9000.