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Numerical analysis of performance of an annular centrifugal contactor for separation of two liquids

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Abstract

The annular centrifugal contactor (ACC) is a vital element in liquid-liquid separation processes. However, despite its advancements, the flow characteristics within the ACC rotor remain intricate, necessitating the use of empirical geometrical guidelines. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complete flow characteristics, a well-structured design becomes essential. This study addresses this need by presenting a systematic and meaningful three-dimensional numerical simulation, which effectively analyzes the impact of the ACC on the flow field and separation performance within the rotor, utilizing dimensional analysis. The simulation employs a combination of the Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase model, volume of fluid, and k-ε turbulence model to effectively separate two liquids. Through careful analysis, the oil separation efficiency and quality are calculated at the oil outlet. The findings reveal that the ACC’s overall separation performance is notably affected by factors such as the Reynolds number, dimensionless angular velocity, and aspect ratio. More specifically, the oil separation efficiency exhibited a considerable improvement, rising from approximately 48 % to 81.17 %, as indicated by the analytical results. Conversely, the oil outlet quality experienced a slight decrease, from 99.37 % to 98.94 %. This study offers valuable insights into optimizing the design of ACCs to enhance separation performance, thus contributing significantly to addressing separation-related challenges posed by two liquids with a slight density difference.

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Abbreviations

ACC :

Annular centrifugal contactor

PIV :

Particle image velocimetry

AR :

Aspect ratio

R :

Rotor height

Ro :

Rotor radius

Ri :

Vane radius

H :

Rotor height

NTS :

Number of time step

TSS :

Time step size

Np :

Total number of phases

α, β :

Phases

ρ :

Density (kg/m3)

g :

Gravity (m/s2)

U :

Velocity (m/s)

P :

Pressure (kPa)

i,j :

Tensor

μ :

Viscosity (mPa.s)

M :

Interphase momentum transfer

r :

Volume fraction

Re :

Reynolds number

E :

Oil separation efficiency

Q :

Oil quality

N :

Number of rotations

θ :

Increment angle

ω :

Rotational speed (rad/s)

Ω :

Dimensionless angular velocity

VOF :

Volume of fluid

RMS :

Root mean square

C D :

Drag coefficient

E (rd) :

Correction factor

C D∞ :

Single particle drag coefficient

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Acknowledgments

This paper is a revised version of a paper entitled “Flow Visualization and Efficiency Estimation in an Annular Centrifugal Contactor for Liquid-Liquid Separation” presented at 2022 Spring Conference of the KSV, Incheon, Korea, 19–20 May 2022. And this work was supported by a Research Grant of Pukyong National University (2021).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technological Development Team, Buchon Machinery Co. Ltd., Ansan, 15658, Korea

    Palash Chakma

  2. Department of Mechanical Design Engineering, Graduate School, Pukyong National University, Busan, 48547, Korea

    Hongwu Zhao

  3. CAE Team, Pibex Co. Ltd., Pohang, 37668, Korea

    Junho Jeon

  4. Motion Dynamics Ltd., Iksan, 54524, Korea

    Yoon Hwan Choi

  5. School of Mechanical Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan, 48513, Korea

    Yeon Won Lee

Authors
  1. Palash Chakma
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yeon Won Lee.

Additional information

Palash Chakma received his M.S. (2019) and Ph.D. (2022) in Mechanical Design Engineering from Pukyong National University, Busan, Korea. Currently, he is working at Buchon Machinery Co. Ltd., Ansan, Korea. His research interests are in liquid-liquid separation, two-phase flow, LBM, and CFD related applications.

Hongwu Zhao received his M.S. (2020) and Ph.D. (2023) in Mechanical Design Engineering from Pukyong National University, Busan, Korea. Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher in Mechanical Design Engineering of Pukyong National University. His research interests are in power plant steam separator, flow around circular cylinder, LES and CFD related applications.

Junho Jeon received his M.S. (2016) and Ph.D. (2022) in Mechanical Design Engineering from Pukyong National University, Busan, Korea. Currently, he is working at Pibex Co. Ltd., Pohang, Korea. His research interests are in power plant systems, two-phase flow, and CFD related applications.

Yoon Hwan Choi (B.E. 1996, M.Sc. 1998, Ph.D. 2001) graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dong-A University, Busan, Korea. He was a Research Professor at Pukyong National University. At present, he is the CEO of Motion Dynamics Ltd., Iksan, Korea.

Yeon Won Lee received his B.S and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from KyungPook National University, Korea. He received his Ph.D. in turbulence modeling and numerical methods in 1993 from the University of Tokyo. Since 1993, he has been a Professor at the School of Mechanical Engineering, Pukyong National University, Korea. His research interests are in wave energy, heat transfer, two-phase flow, sloshing dynamics, LBM and CFD related applications.

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Chakma, P., Zhao, H., Jeon, J. et al. Numerical analysis of performance of an annular centrifugal contactor for separation of two liquids. J Mech Sci Technol 38, 1259–1270 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-024-0221-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-024-0221-y

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