Exergy Performance of Vortex Tube by Varying Geometrical Parameters

A.S. Deshmukh, K.D. Devade

A simple hollow piece of metal called Ranque Hilsch vortex tube is a solution of wide variety of industrial applications like heating and cooling turning drilling welding etc. It is eco-friendly, low cost, light in weight and effective device in which a compressed air supplied from source at high pressure can separated into two streams hot and cold air at both outlets. Air is introduced via tangential nozzle a strong vortex flow will be created which will be split into two air streams. The main factors that affecting the performance of vortex tubes are inlet pressure, L/D ratio, cold mass fraction etc.

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the energy separation, flow variation in radial direction and the maximum efficiency of the vortex tube by exergy analysis to investigate the energy separation and flow phenomena within a vortex tube. Air is considered as working fluid or refrigerant .In this work for L/D ratio 32.5 is selected. Vortex tube of various geometrical parameters (no of nozzles 1,2,3,4, valve angle 30⁰,45⁰,60⁰,90⁰. With varying cold mass fraction from 0.1 to 0.9 is selected. These parameters are used in an exergy analysis. Maximum Exergy efficiency is obtained at 60⁰ valve angle and at nozzle 4 which is 0.4022.