Modeling and numerical simulation of cyclone separators

• Grant number: 16/20237-3
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2016
• Effective date (End): October 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering - Transport Phenomena
• Cooperation agreement: BG E&P Brasil (Shell Group)
• Principal researcher: Emílio Carlos Nelli Silva
• Grantee: Nelson Kenzo Tamashiro
• Home Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/50279-4 - Brasil Research Centre for Gas Innovation, AP.PCPE

Abstract

This work is part of the Brazilian Research Center Project Scope (CEPID) for Innovation in Gas, Fapesp number: 2014/50279-4. In the current scenario of extraction and processing of natural gas, there is a great incentive to develop technologies that are light, less complex and have low footprint technologies, to increase the capacity and efficiency of the gas production. The Supersonic Separator technology, recently developed by Russian company ENGO Engineering Ltd, is promising, because it is compact, has no moving parts and does not use chemical additives. In the separator, the fluid is subjected to a supersonic and cyclonic flow. The cyclonic trajectory associated with high flow rates separates denser components and liquids by centrifugation. Recent research has studied the supersonic separator revealing relationships between flow conditions and process quality parameters. In this context, this research proposes the modeling and numerical simulation, by means of finite element software, of the biphasic flow and the separation process. The objective is to train human resources devoted to analysis of fluidic systems based on numerical simulations. This scientific research work is limited initially to flow conditions that involves less complex phenomena: inviscid and incompressible fluids; laminar and steady-state flow, and two-dimensional or axisymmetric domains. (AU)