Study On Structure Design And Separation Characteristics Of Solid-Liquid Hydrocyclone For Fine Particle Separation

The hydrocyclone is a kind of centrifugal separation facility, which utilizes the densitydifference of immiscible phases and which started at the end of1980’s in China. In1960shydrocyclones were developed to be main separation device and were mainly used forfiltrating and grading of mining sand.Since1980s, the application of hydrocyclones has been extended from solid-liquidseparation to immiscible liquid-liquid separation, liquid-liquid-solid separation andgas-liquid-solid separation, etc. The experimental research and the application research forsolid-liquid separation and oil-water separation of oilfield waste water are being carried outright now in many oilfields in China. The hydrocyclone has shown very brilliant outlook.As the centrifugal acceleration produced by high revolving movement inside thehydrocyclone is several hundred times of the gravity acceleration, it can improve treatingresult to a great extent, and reduce the treating difficulty of its following facilities. Althoughthe research of the hydrocyclone has been carrying out continuously, it can not beeffectively used for the separation of fine particles.In this paper, combining with oil-field actual situation, a series of solid-liquidhydrocyclones were designed and manufactured. The research of separation characteristicswas carried out. The important structure of solid-liquid hydrocyclone was chosen throughthe experiment, Combined with theory analysis and arranged data, the reasonable structureparameters of new-style solid-liquid hydrocyclone were determined. And the effect of flowrate Qiand split ratio F on pressure drop were analyzed in order that the reasonableoperation parameters were determined. By utilizing Fluent software and focusing on theprototype’s main structure, its pressure and velocity distribution and the flow path line aresimulated. The experiments showed that this hydrocyclone could obtain a better result undersome bad condition such as smaller particle size and lower density difference. When flowrate Qi was about1.58m~3/h, split ratio F was8%, the highest dehydration rate could be up to90%.The application of hydrocyclone for fine particle is provided in this research. So theapplication territory of solid-liquid hydrocyclone is enlarged. This will contribute toimproving hydrocyclone characteristics and using widely hydrocyclones in oilfield.