INVESTIGATION OF THE AERODYNAMIC DRAG OF AN EIGHT-CHANNEL CENTRIFUGAL FILTER

The aerodynamic characteristics and the structure of vortices of the central region of the channel system of an eightchannel centrifugal filter have been investigated. An overview of the foreign and home literature on the filtration of solid particles in the gas flow in centrifugal apparatuses is given [1, 2]. We present the design and the principle of operation of the eight-channel centrifugal filter based on a system of curvilinear channels with equal turn angles and equal cross-sectional areas connected in series. We have performed numerical calculations of the dependence of the aerodynamic drag of the centrifugal filter on the rate of flow obtained by three different methods: analytical calculation, experiments on the laboratory facility, and with the help of modern means of computer modeling. Computational modeling of the flow was carried out by solving Reynolds (RANS, Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes) equations by the SFD method with the use of a k-e model of turbulence for three modes of operation of the apparatus. The results of computer modeling permitted visualizing the vortex structure of the central region of the separation chamber in the form of 3D graphs. The obtained results have been confirmed experimentally on a laboratory model of the centrifugal filter of capacity up to 200 m(3)/h of purified air.