Introducing of a New Configuration for Ranque-Hilsch Vortex Tube toward Enhancement of Refrigeration Capacity

Because the main application of vortex tube is in the cooling, the purpose of this paper has been the enhancement of the cooling power in vortex tube. Hence the appliance’s geometry has been optimized. A 3-D compressible turbulent flow computation has been carried out toward analysis of complex flow field in this apparatus. Numerical results of flows are derived by using the standard k-ε turbulence model for analyzing high rotating complex flow field. In these model helical nozzles instead of straight nozzles, together with two chambers instead of one chamber has been used. New arrangement of nozzles and chambers has reduced the cold exit temperature and thermal losses in the hot exit. Thus created temperature separation in the vortex tube has been toward the increment of cooling capacity.The effect of new configuration on the velocity components has been studied, and the swirl velocity at all of the axial locations has been increased, but created interruption in the exhaustion of cold air, causes the increment of heat transfer between layers. . In addition, the effect of inlet pressure for both chambers has been studied in details. Presented numerical results show that the effect of inlet pressure in second chamber has more important role in improving the performance of the vortex tube than first chamber.

Keywords:

Vortex tube , Numerical simulation , Vortex chamber , helical nozzles , Energy separation , Inlet Pressure