DescriptionRanque-Hilsch vortex tube is a device that separates a flow of gas into two streams simultaneously, one hotter than the inlet and one cooler. Traditionally vortex tubes are mostly operated at high entrance pressures (>10 psig) and always used for cooling operations. There are industrial applications that result in unused pressurized gases. Using vortex tube energy separation may be a method to recover waste pressure energy from high and low pressure sources. In various industrial systems, magnitudes of waste pressure may be lower but may have significant mass flow rates. Hence it is important to make sure that vortex tube provides the required energy separation while harnessing the low pressure but high mass flow rate waste energy and utilizes it for not only cooling but also for heating purposes.
Our recent experimental observations show that in the low inlet pressure regime (<10 psig); vortex tubes behave differently and produce multiple flow structures rather than expected re-circulating cold stream and the columnar hot stream type of flow (simply "Vortex Tube flow" or VT-flow).
This thesis characterizes industrial waste pressure as a reclaimable form of energy, analyzes the effectiveness of 'vortex tube energy separation' in recovering waste energy from low pressure sources, and explores experimentally and theoretically the possibility of multiple flow structures (like Reverse, Elbow, T-flow or VT-flow) inside vortex tube in a low inlet pressure regime.
First time, a study of flow modes in low pressure vortex tubes with small cold fractions has been presented which yielded quantitative confirmation of simple one dimensional model for these flows allowing both predictive capabilities and guidance in design.