Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of an Air Cyclone in Reduced Pressure and Gravity

Abstract

We investigate the performance of a small air cyclone under varying gravity and pressure con- ditions, using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) program. We simulate dust loading in the cyclone and calculate filtration efficiency as a function of particle diameter, under different con- ditions of ambient pressure and external gravitational field, and we study the effects of varying ambient pressure on the pressure drop across the cyclone. We also utilize a theoretical model for calculating pressure drop for our cyclone, and we compare it against simulation data to show that it accurately predicts pressure drop.