Numerical Simulation of Oil-water

Hydrocyclone Using Reynolds-Stress Model

for Eulerian Multiphase Flows
Si Huang
School of Industrial Equipment and Control Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China, 510641

A three-dimensional oil-water turbulent ow and oil separation process in a double-cone liquid-liquid hydrocyclone (LLHC) is numerically simulated
using FLUENT software. The Euler-Euler approach and Reynolds-stress model are combined and adopted in this simulation to handle the challeng-
ing situation of anisotropic turbulent two-phase ow with a higher volumetric ratio (over 10%) in the dispersed phase. It is visualized well in the
simulation how separation, aggregation and shift of oil and water proceed in the LLHC. The oil separation efciency is determined based on ow
eld and phase concentration distribution. The simulation is veried by comparing predicted and measured separation efciency in the LLHC.

Un procd de sparation dhuile et dcoulement turbulent huile-eau tridimensionnel dans un hydrocyclone liquide-liquide double cne (LLHC)
est simul numriquement laide du logiciel FLUENT. La mthode Euler-Euler et le modle des contraintes de Reynolds sont combins pour
aborder la situation dlicate de lcoulement biphasique turbulent anisotrope avec un taux volumtrique plus lev (au-dessus de 10%) dans la
phase disperse. La simulation permet de bien visualiser comment seffectuent la sparation, lagrgation et lchange entre lhuile et de leau dans
le LLHC. Lefcacit de la sparation de lhuile est dtermine daprs le champ dcoulement et la distribution de concentration de phase. La
simulation est vrie par la comparaison de lefcacit de sparation prdite et mesure dans le LLHC.

Keywords: oil-water hydrocyclone, numerical simulation, Reynolds-stress model, Eulerian approach, FLUENT

T REYNOLDS-STRESS MODEL FOR EULERIAN

he liquid-liquid hydrocyclones (LLHC), both for dewatering
and deoiling purposes, have been widely applied to
petroleum, chemical and civil engineering for the past
several decades. The LLHC is inexpensive, simple in design
without moving parts, easy to install and operate, and has low
maintenance cost. A large quantity of information on the LLHC
available in the literature includes computational uid dynamic
(CFD) simulations. However, no CFD simulation of overall
process of oil-water two-phase separation has been reported to
date for the LLHC. Therefore this study, using the Reynolds-
stress model (RSM) for Eulerian multiphase ows in FLUENT
software, simulates three-dimensional liquid-liquid ow eld
and phase concentration distributions. The separation efciency
is determined based on the ow eld and phase concentration
prediction for the LLHC, and tested against available experimental
data. This model enables the prediction of the oil-water two-
phase ow behaviour in the LLHC, providing valuable information
for LLHC optimization design and eld applications.
MULTIPHASE FLOWS
Currently, there are two approaches for the numerical calculation
of multiphase ows: the Euler-Lagrange approach, and the
Euler-Euler approach. In Euler-Lagrange approach, the prime-
phase uid is treated as a continuum by solving the Navier-
Stokes equation, while the dispersed-phase uid is solved by
tracking a large number of individual droplets. However, a
fundamental assumption made in this approach is that the
dispersed phase occupies a low volume fraction usually less than
10%. This makes the model inappropriate for the current case of
liquid-liquid hydrocyclones. The Euler-Euler approach is
universal and usually more complex. In this approach, the
different phases are treated as interpenetrating continua.
Conservation equations for each phase are derived to obtain a set
of equations with regard to momentum, continuity and energy.
* Author to whom correspondence may be addressed.
E-mail address: dynamic1682000@yahoo.ca

VOLUME 83, OCTOBER 2005 THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 829
 On the other hand, for the modelling of turbulent ow
dominated by swirling, like that in LLHC, use of the Reynolds-
stress model (RSM) is a must since the ow features are of
anisotropy in the Reynolds stresses (Launder et al., 1975 and Fu
et al., 1987). As the most sophisticated turbulence model, RSM
closes the time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations by solving
transport equations for the Reynolds stresses ij = puiu
uj, together
with an equation for the dissipation rate.
Figure 1. Colmans hydrocyclone geometry
In order to handle challenging current situations including
both factors, liquid-liquid and anisotropic turbulence, the Euler-
Euler approach and RSM are combined and selected both in
FLUENT panel. The Eulerian multiphase model in FLUENT
allows for the modelling of multiple separate, yet interacting
phases. The solution is based on the following assumptions: (a)
A single pressure eld is shared by all phases; (b) Momentum
and continuity equations are solved for each phase; (c) Several
interphase drag coefcient functions are available, which are
appropriate for various types of multiphase regimes. For
FLUENTs Eulerian multiphase model, there is a global distinction
between uid-uid and uid-solid (granular) multiphase ows.
However, there are still some limitations in the model due to the
insufciency of present knowledge on multiphase ow. For
instance, droplet (particle) in the dispersed phase interacts only
with the primary phase, neglecting the interactions between
droplets (particles). Such interaction causes coalescence and
breakage that are proved to generate a considerable inuence on
the separation efciency in LLHC (Meyer, 2002; Meyer and
Bohnet, 2002).
Refer to Cokljat et al. (2000), Slack et al. (2003) and FLUENT
Users Guide (2004) for the detailed formulations regarding RSM
for Eulerian multiphase ows. As the default options, wall
reection effects and linear pressure-strain model are chosen.
The RSM multiphase model is applied to the mixture. The
Schiller-Naumann model is the default method and acceptable
for general use to calculate drag coefcient for all uid-uid
pairs of phases. In addition, other factors such as lift, collision,
transfer of heat and mass, surface tension and reactions, are
neglected.

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND PRE-PROCESS

Geometrical Structure of LLHC in Simulation

Figure 2. The diameter distribution of dispersed phase
The deoiling LLHC, a typical double-cone Colmans design
(1981) shown in Figure 1, is selected for the current simulation.
The LLHC is twin-inlet design and its conguration is given in
Table 1.

Fluid Properties and Operational Conditions of LLHC

The uid properties for both phases and operational conditions
in LLHC are shown in Table 2.
The diameter distribution of dispersed phase for the simulation
is shown in Figure 2, which comes from Colman (1981).

Computational Zone, Mesh and Boundary Conditions

The pre-processor GAMBIT in FLUENT is performed to form the
computational geometry zone and grids. For current geometry,
cooper-type hex elements are generated. The total number of hex
elements is 156 806, including 35, 2148, 100 983, 5960, 23 840,
Figure 3. Hex-element generations by Gambit pre-processor
23 840 for the overow outlet, feed inlet, inlet chamber, reducing

Table 1. Geometrical parameters corresponding to Figure 1

Dn(m) D L1 L3 Ai Do Du
0.03 2Dn 3Dn 21Dn 0.016pDn2 20 0.67 0.14Dn 0.5Dn

Table 2. Operational conditions of Colmans designs

Liquid Qi (m3/h) F (%) i (%) (kg/m3) (kg/m-s)

Water 2.0 10 70 998 0.001003
Oil 30 890 0.00332

830 THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING VOLUME 83, OCTOBER 2005
Figure 4. Streamlines of the oil-water mixture in LLHC (Ratio of longitude/horizon: 10:1)
Figure 5. Distribution of tangential velocity of the oil-water mixture in
LLHC (Ratio of longitude/horizon: 20:1)
Figure 6. Pressure distribution p of the oil-water mixture in LLHC (Ratio
of longitude/horizon: 20:1)
Figure 7. Pressure p of the oil-water mixture along the axis of LLHC
VOLUME 83, OCTOBER 2005
section, tapered section and tail pipe, respectively. The number
of nodes for the corresponding zones are 72, 3192, 19 598, 7007,
26 117, 26 117, respectively. Figure 3 shows the appearance of
hex grid generation of LLHC. The boundary condition for
FLUENT panel at feed inlet is prescribed by mass ow rate.
Turbulent ow condition at feed inlet is given with intensity
(5%) and hydraulic diameter. Outow boundary is set both at
exits of overow and underow. Outow rates at different exits
are allocated according to split ratio. Wall boundaries are set on
the surfaces adjacent to solid regions. Standard wall functions
are applied for near-wall treatment. It is assumed that the
overow outlet is open to the atmosphere (101 325 Pa) so the
overow outlet is treated as the reference pressure location.
Computational Technique and Reproductively
As the three-dimensional calculation combining the Reynolds
stress model with the multiphase algorithm, it could generally
consume a lot of computational time. In the current simulation,
the meshes are generated densely in radial direction for whole
domain, considering the considerable variation of ow
parameters. In the axial direction, however, the meshes can be
made relatively sparse in order to reduce the computational
time.
The convergence criterions are set 10-3 for all ow parameters
except volumetric ratio of the dispersed phase, in which the
criterion is 10-5 for the case of low inlet volumetric ratio. Relative
low under-relaxation factors (0.1 or even lower) are used during
iterations to guarantee nal convergence. For checking the
inuence of grids to the solutions, three types of grids in
GAMBIT of FLUENT, i.e., Hex, Hex/Wedge and Tet/Hybrid, have
been tested. The differences in their solutions can be controlled
within the range of criterions if the grids are dense enough. This
means the current numerical solutions are independent of the
selection and arrangement of grids. Nevertheless, the Hex grid is
approximately parallel to the ow direction, so it is most
adaptive to the problem and not necessarily as dense as the other
grids.
NUMERICAL RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Flow Fields in LLHC
Some representative computational results (steady state solutions)
are shown in Figures 47. All the information in these gures
comes from the axial sectional surfaces in the computational
zones. Figure 4 shows the streamlines of the oil-water mixture
in LLHC. This gure indicates the locations where the big
vortexes and the reverse ows take place. The centre of main
vortex is located at the tapered section of LLHC, causing the
reverse ow to extend till the tail pipe section.
THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 831
Figure 8. Variation of phase concentration distribution in LLHC with time (Ratio of longitude/horizon: 20:1)
The distribution of tangential velocity of the mixture in LLHC
is displayed in Figure 5. It is seen in Figure 5 that maximum
values of tangential velocities appear near the axis of LLHC. This
result agrees with the result of experimental observation
(Colman and Thew, 1980).
Pressure Distributions in LLHC
The distribution of static pressure of the mixture in LLHC is
shown in Figure 6. There are considerable pressure differences
in radial- and axial-directions. Thus, the process of oil-water
separation could be explained clearly from this gure. The
heavier uid (water) is thrown to the wall of LLHC by centrifugal
force and then forced to move to underow by axial-direction
832 THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
pressure difference, while the lighter liquid (oil) is pushed to
axis of LLHC by radial-direction pressure difference. The lighter
liquid afterward ows to overow outlet due to the pressure
difference between inside and outside of LLHC. On the other
hand, it is worth noting that the pressure along the hydrocyclone
axis is below atmospheric (shown in Figure 7). The negative
pressure zone is widely understood as the result of air-core
presence due to the strong swirl. This indicates that air-core
zone could be simulated as well by the present study.
Process of Oil-Water Separation In LLHC
Figure 8 is the variation of phase concentration in LLHC with
time. Red and blue colours represent oil and water (i.e., the
VOLUME 83, OCTOBER 2005
 tested one in both Figure 9 and Table 3, indicating that the
current simulation is practical and a potential tool for optimization
design of LLHC.

CONCLUSIONS
A three-dimensional oil-water turbulent ow and oil separation
process in a double-cone LLHC is numerically simulated using
FLUENT software. The Euler-Euler approach and Reynolds-stress
model (RSM) are combined and adopted in this simulation to
handle the situation of anisotropic turbulent two-phase ow with a
higher volumetric ratio (over 10%) in the dispersed phase. The ow
eld and phase concentration distribution are acquired in the
simulation. It could be observed how separation, aggregation and
shift of oil and water proceed in the LLHC. The oil separation
Figure 9. Migration probability between predicted and the measured data efciency is determined based on ow eld and phase concentration
distributions. The current simulation is veried by comparing
predicted and measured separation efciency of the hydrocyclone.
Table 3. Comparison of predicted and tested separation efciency This indicates the current simulation could be an effective tool to
in LLHC optimization design of LLHC.
Qi (m3/h) F (%) i (%) Predicted Tested
(%) (%) NOMENCLATURE
3.6 10 5% 81.2 78.7 Ai area sum of feed inlet of hydrocyclone (m2)
D diameter of inlet chamber of hydrocyclone (m)
Dn minimum diameter of reducing section of hydrocyclone (m)
volumetric fractions of dispersed phase are 1 and 0), respectively. Do diameter of overow outlet of hydrocyclone (m)
It is visualized well in the simulation that separation, aggregation Du diameter of tail pipe section of hydrocyclone (m)
and shift of oil and water proceed in the LLHC. The dimensionless d diameter of particle or droplet (m)
time is dened as F split ratio: the ratio of the overow rate to the inlet ow
rate (%)
T = 1000Qit L1D
Dn2 (1) L1 length of inlet chamber of hydrocyclone (m)
L3 length of tail pipe section of hydrocyclone (m)
Prediction of Oil Separation Efciency p static pressure (Pa)
Q ow rate (m3/h)
As ow eld of each phase and oil concentration distribution are T* dimensionless time
obtained, it is possible to predict the oil separation efciency of t time (s)
LLHC. In this study, a widely used denition is adapted for the ui uctuating velocity components of uid (m/s)
oil separation efciency, namely: V volumetric fraction of specic droplet size (%)
oQo Q Greek Symbols
= =1 u u (2)
i Qi i Qi angle of reducing section of hydrocyclone (deg)
o, u volumetric ratio of phase overow, underow (%)
Since very little measured data is available for liquid-liquid i volumetric ratio of phase at feed inlet (%)
ows with a high concentration of the dispersed phase in LLHC, half-angle of tapered section of hydrocyclone (deg)
it could be a simple way to verify the validity of simulation by oil separation efciency of hydrocyclone (%)
comparing predicted separation efciency with one measured by dynamic viscosity (kg/m-s)
Colman (1981). In Colmans measurement, the dispersed phase density of uid (kg/m3)
was polypropylene particles as a substitute to oil droplets. Figure ij Reynolds stresses (Pa)
9 gives the comparison of migration probability between
predicted curve by this study and the measured data. The Subscripts
migration probability curve is the characteristic curve of a
i feed inlet
specic LLHC for a given ow rate and uid properties. This
o overow outlet
curve is independent of the feed droplet size distribution. Using
u underow outlet
the information of the migration probability curve (Figure 9)
and the feed droplet size distribution (Figure 2), the total
separation efciency can be determined as follows:

= ( di ) Vi (3)
i

Table 3 shows the comparison of predicted separation

efciency and tested value together with the operating conditions
in a deoiling LLHC. It is seen that predicted value is close to

VOLUME 83, OCTOBER 2005 THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 833
REFERENCES
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Manuscript received April 16, 2005; revised manuscript received

June 25, 2005; accepted for publication September 19, 2005.

834 THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING VOLUME 83, OCTOBER 2005