Collection Efficiency Enhancement of Cyclone Filtration System

Abstract

The present study focuses on improving the cyclone abatement device that is used in the agriculture and processing industries such as palm oil mill industry. The air flow trajectories are simulated and analyzed using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Cyclones use the principle of inertia to remove particulate matter from flue gases. The current design of the cyclone is not able to collect particulate matter that is smaller than 10 micrometers effectively. This will result in negative effect to the environment as well as to the community. Thus, it is essential to modify the cyclone filters and study its effects on the overall performance of the cyclones. The principle idea of the geometrical modification is to alter the boundary layer adjacent to the inner wall of the cyclone in order to enhance the cyclone performance. The collection efficiency and pressure drop are the main factors that can affect the performance of the cyclone. The separator plates are designed in certain sizes to be placed inside the cyclone with different positions. It is shown that the position of the plate inside the cyclone significantly affects the performance of the cyclone filter. The cyclone with 145 mm separator plate has shown to produce highest efficiency marked 45.23 % relative to the standard cyclone. In overall, the separator plate significantly increases the cyclone performance