Samith Eiamsa-ard and Pongjet Promvonge

pp. 459 - 475

Abstract

The vortex tube is a mechanical device operating as a refrigerating machine without refrigerants, by separating a compressed gas stream into two streams; the cold air stream at the tube core while the hot air stream near the tube wall. Such a separation of the flow into regions of low and high total temperature is
referred to as the temperature separation effect. In this paper, simulation of the turbulent compressible flow and temperature separation in a uni-flow vortex tube with the turbulence model and the algebraic Reynolds stress model (ASM) is described. Steady, compressible and two-dimensional flows are assumed through out the calculation. It has been found that the predicted results of velocity, pressure, and temperature fields are generally in good agreement with available experiment data. Moreover, it can be indicated that the highest temperature separation occurs near the inlet nozzle while the lowest temperature separation is found at the downstream near the control valve.

Keywords

• Vortex tube
• standard turbulence model
• algebraic Reynolds stress model
  (ASM)
• temperature separation