NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF TEMPERATURE SEPARATION IN METHANE STREAM IN RANQUE-HILSCH VORTEX TUBE

In present numerical research, the temperature separation in methane stream within a counter flow Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube was investigated. A complete three-dimensional geometry of the vortex tube was used to generate a high-density computational grid. A vortex tube with two tangential inlet nozzles, an axial cold stream outlet and a circumferential hot stream outlet was considered. Methane was used as a fluid along with Peng-Robinson cubic equation of state. Fluid properties like total temperature and total pressure were analyzed for a range of inlet mass flow rates and inlet total pressure values. Also the total pressure and total temperature distribution along the axial direction was investigated. The temperature separation effect is more significant for air then for methane at all investigated pressures. Created model can be used to design industrial vortex tubes for oil and gas industry where methane is a main product.