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CFD Analysis and Experimental Investigation on Ranque-Hilsch Counter Flow Vortex Tube for Optimizing Tube Length by Using Compressed Air

Sk. Nayeem, K. Dilip Kumar

Abstract


Day by day increasing effect of refrigerant to the environment leads to global warming, and increasing energy consumption. There is a need of a new refrigerator which consume less energy compared to conventional refrigerator and refrigerant which is environmental friendly. Vortex tube refrigerator which satisfies the above two conditions. Vortex tube refrigerator is a simple device which converts incoming compressed air into two different steams, one is cold stream which delivers from the smaller diameter of vortex tube, second is hot stream which passes through the restricted area of larger diameter of vortex tube refrigerator. It mainly consists of cold nozzle orifice, hot tube, control plug, vortex generator. By varying these dimensions and inlet air pressure the values of cold stream, hot stream will vary. In the present work three different tube lengths (54.6, 102.8, and 119.3 cm) of counter flow vertex tube refrigerator fabricated with suitable dimensions. Experiment is conducted with help of air-compressor of capacity 250 psi at 50, 100, 120 and 150 psi. Cold nozzle and hot tube outlet temperatures are measured with temperature indicator connected with 12-pole switch. Fluent simulation is carried out on these three different tube lengths vortex tube refrigerator at steady and un-steady state conditions.

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References


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