Hi there,

I am looking for more info on the CFD modelling of the gas-gas separation process in a centrifuge. The design is proposed to be a very high-speed unit, and we are conducting some prelims into using CFD to model the design.

Is it safe to assume that most commercial codes can model this type of problem, and what are the big issues in the field?

Any pointers to other sources of info are more than welcome.

regards, Kruger

Very interesting - would this by any chance be a supersonic centrifuge, with two gasses of very similar density and lined up in a very long cascade? Say, about 3000 or so connected in a series?

I guess it is possible considering the speed of rotation that was mentioned. It is not yet clear whether the units will operate in cascade or not.

See Uranium/Plutonium enrichment. Might be classified information. Problem is that trying to separate two perfectly mixed components against the diffusion will be hard in CFD. It is not exactly a two-phase calculation, where you will need a lengthscale (bubble size, droplet size) to calculate the separation efficiency. People who know this stuff are probably reluctant to "share" their knowledge.

My two cents

[HFonten1]

I've just started working OpenFOAM to solve this same problem. Has anyone made any progress on this?

[harsha_kulkarni]

which solver u r using
rhoCentralFoam or else
at higher rotation pressue and velocity not showing good result.