Structural Designing of Supersonic Swirling Devices Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics Theory

The supersonic swirling device is a new apparatus that can be used for natural-gas liquefaction. The structure of the supersonic swirling device has an important impact on the liquefaction efficiency. Therefore, this study presents a structural design method for supersonic cyclones based on CFD theo...

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Main Authors: Qian Huang, Huirong Huang, Xueyuan Long, Yuan Tian, Jiang Meng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/1/151
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author Qian Huang
Huirong Huang
Xueyuan Long
Yuan Tian
Jiang Meng
author_facet Qian Huang
Huirong Huang
Xueyuan Long
Yuan Tian
Jiang Meng
author_sort Qian Huang
collection DOAJ
description The supersonic swirling device is a new apparatus that can be used for natural-gas liquefaction. The structure of the supersonic swirling device has an important impact on the liquefaction efficiency. Therefore, this study presents a structural design method for supersonic cyclones based on CFD theory. Using the production parameters of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) peak-shaving station as the study case, a detailed design and design comparison of each part of the supersonic swirling separator are carried out. An optimum LNG supersonic swirling separator design was obtained. To ensure that the designed supersonic swirling separator achieved better liquefaction effectiveness, it was ascertained that no large shockwaves were generated in the de Laval nozzle, the pressure loss on the swirler was small, and the swirler was able to produce a large centripetal acceleration. The opening angle of the diffuser and the length of the straight tube were designed considering the location at which normal shockwaves were generated. The location at which shockwaves are generated and the friction effect are important parameters that determine the gap size. With this design guidance, the optimal structural dimensions of the supersonic swirling device for a given processing capacity were determined as follows: a swirler with six vanes and an 8 mm wide channel; a 10D-long straight tube, an opening angle of 20° between the straight tube and the divergent section, and a gap size of 2 mm. Compared with “Twister II”, the new device has better liquefaction efficiency.
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spelling doaj-art-e5083acd90454621b54c6cbb302f2a7b2025-08-20T02:36:08ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172024-12-0115115110.3390/app15010151Structural Designing of Supersonic Swirling Devices Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics TheoryQian Huang0Huirong Huang1Xueyuan Long2Yuan Tian3Jiang Meng4School of Petroleum Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing 401331, ChinaSchool of Petroleum Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing 401331, ChinaSchool of Safety Science and Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing 401331, ChinaSchool of Petroleum Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing 401331, ChinaSchool of Petroleum Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing 401331, ChinaThe supersonic swirling device is a new apparatus that can be used for natural-gas liquefaction. The structure of the supersonic swirling device has an important impact on the liquefaction efficiency. Therefore, this study presents a structural design method for supersonic cyclones based on CFD theory. Using the production parameters of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) peak-shaving station as the study case, a detailed design and design comparison of each part of the supersonic swirling separator are carried out. An optimum LNG supersonic swirling separator design was obtained. To ensure that the designed supersonic swirling separator achieved better liquefaction effectiveness, it was ascertained that no large shockwaves were generated in the de Laval nozzle, the pressure loss on the swirler was small, and the swirler was able to produce a large centripetal acceleration. The opening angle of the diffuser and the length of the straight tube were designed considering the location at which normal shockwaves were generated. The location at which shockwaves are generated and the friction effect are important parameters that determine the gap size. With this design guidance, the optimal structural dimensions of the supersonic swirling device for a given processing capacity were determined as follows: a swirler with six vanes and an 8 mm wide channel; a 10D-long straight tube, an opening angle of 20° between the straight tube and the divergent section, and a gap size of 2 mm. Compared with “Twister II”, the new device has better liquefaction efficiency.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/1/151natural gassupersonic swirl separationstructural designnumerical simulation
spellingShingle Qian Huang
Huirong Huang
Xueyuan Long
Yuan Tian
Jiang Meng
Structural Designing of Supersonic Swirling Devices Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics Theory
Applied Sciences
natural gas
supersonic swirl separation
structural design
numerical simulation
title Structural Designing of Supersonic Swirling Devices Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics Theory
title_full Structural Designing of Supersonic Swirling Devices Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics Theory
title_fullStr Structural Designing of Supersonic Swirling Devices Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics Theory
title_full_unstemmed Structural Designing of Supersonic Swirling Devices Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics Theory
title_short Structural Designing of Supersonic Swirling Devices Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics Theory
title_sort structural designing of supersonic swirling devices based on computational fluid dynamics theory
topic natural gas
supersonic swirl separation
structural design
numerical simulation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/1/151
work_keys_str_mv AT qianhuang structuraldesigningofsupersonicswirlingdevicesbasedoncomputationalfluiddynamicstheory
AT huironghuang structuraldesigningofsupersonicswirlingdevicesbasedoncomputationalfluiddynamicstheory
AT xueyuanlong structuraldesigningofsupersonicswirlingdevicesbasedoncomputationalfluiddynamicstheory
AT yuantian structuraldesigningofsupersonicswirlingdevicesbasedoncomputationalfluiddynamicstheory
AT jiangmeng structuraldesigningofsupersonicswirlingdevicesbasedoncomputationalfluiddynamicstheory