Numerical Investigation of the Effect of Vortex Finder Diameter Ratio on Cyclone Separator Performance

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
GHODRAT GHASSABI 1
Mohammadhosein Yoosefi 2
1 Assistant professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bozorgmehr University of Qaenat, Qaen, Iran
2 B.Sc, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bozorgmehr University of Qaenat, Qaen, Iran
10.22034/stme.2025.532379.1140
Abstract
In this study, the effect of the vortex finder diameter ratio on the particle separation efficiency and pressure drop of a cyclone separator was numerically investigated. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using ANSYS Fluent 21. Five vortex finder diameter ratios (D₂/D₁ = 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, and 4) were examined to evaluate their influence on cyclone performance. Air was considered as the continuous phase with an inlet velocity of 1 m/s, while solid particles with a diameter of 10 μm were used as the dispersed phase. The simulation results showed that increasing the vortex finder diameter ratio from 0.25 to 0.5 significantly reduced the pressure drop, whereas further increases in the diameter ratio resulted in only minor changes in pressure drop. The cyclone with a diameter ratio of 0.5 achieved a particle separation efficiency of 100%, while the cyclone with a diameter ratio of 4 was unable to separate the particles effectively. Furthermore, considering both separation efficiency and pressure drop, the cyclone equipped with a cylindrical vortex finder (D₂/D₁ = 1) exhibited the most favorable overall performance compared with the other investigated diameter ratios. These findings demonstrate that the vortex finder diameter ratio is a critical design parameter and that selecting an appropriate geometry can significantly improve cyclone performance while reducing energy losses.
Keywords
Particle Separation Efficiency
Pressure Drop
Vortex Finder Diameter Ratio
ANSYS Fluent
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 03 July 2025
  • Revise Date 23 December 2025
  • Accept Date 24 December 2025
  • First Publish Date 24 December 2025
  • Publish Date 23 July 2026