Physical simulation of aerodynamic flow characteristics in a vertical diffuser with air supply through different pipe configurations

Abstract

RELEVANCE. Vertical cone diffusers are used in various technical applications: heat exchangers, gas cleaning units, boilers, industrial furnaces, dryers, ventilation devices, nozzle systems and others. For their efficient operation, it is necessary to ensure a uniform supply of the working medium to the device, which is determined by the characteristics of the flow in thediffuser. Thus, the study of the aerodynamics of technological devices with conical diffusers is an urgent task for gas-dynamic improvement and the search for ways to control flow characteristics. THE PURPOSE. To establish the evolution of the velocity field along the height of the cylindrical part of the diffuser for different configurations of the supply tubes, and also to determine the magnitude of the change in the intensity of turbulence along the height of the diffuser under different initial conditions based on experimental data on the instantaneous values of the air flow velocity. METHODS. Measurement of instantaneous values of air flow velocity is carried out using a constant temperature hot-wire anemometer. The article provides data on velocity fields and turbulence intensity along the height and along the diameter of the cylindrical part of the diffuser when air is supplied through tubes of different configurations. Feed tubes with cross sections in the form of a circle, a square and an equilateral triangle were used. RESULTS. The article provides a detailed description of the experimental stand (including key geometric dimensions), instrumentation and measurement system, and data processing techniques. The ranges of changes in the initial conditions for the experiments are presented. A comparison of the aeromechanical characteristics of flows in a vertical diffuser when air issupplied through different tube configurations is carried out. CONCLUSION. It is shown that in the diffuser there is a drop in the average velocity upstream, which is typical for all configurations of the supply tubes. It has been established that profiled tubes influence the shape of the velocity field. It was found that the values of turbulence intensity vary from 0.05 to 0.39 (the highest values were typical when air was supplied through profiled tubes). It is shown that the intensity of turbulence has its maximum values at a height of 300-350 mm, which is typical for all investigated tube configurations.

Keywords

• vertical cone diffuser
• aerodynamics
• stationary flow
• profiled tubes
• velocity field
• turbulence intensity
• empirical regularities