Numerical Models of Hydrocyclones

The previous chapters showed that the problem associated with the mathematical modeling of flow patterns in hydrocyclones involves the solution of strongly coupled, non-linear partial differential equations of mass and momentum balances, which lies well beyond any analytical approach, except when major simplifications are assumed. In this chapter we will study the challenges related to the complex flow behavior arising from laminar and turbulent three-dimensional flows. Numerical simulation of partial differential equations with finite element and finite volume platforms such as Fluent has reached a reasonable level of maturity and is accepted as an analysis tool. Important aspects of the numerical simulation of hydrocyclones are the formulation of the governing equations, selection of the appropriate turbulence model, imposition of boundary conditions and proper representation of the computational domain.