Analyzing the effect of the density of medium on efficiency of hydrocyclone separator in sorting of PVC and PET using CFD

In plastic recycling, the precision with which a plastic component is separated during the recycling process from a combination determines the purity of the recycled plastic. In this study, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) particles are separated using a hydroc...

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Main Authors: Ratri Chowdhury, Md Maruf Billah, Sanjeeb Roy, S.C. Banik, Arpita Barua
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-03-01
Series:Results in Materials
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590048X23001358
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author Ratri Chowdhury
Md Maruf Billah
Sanjeeb Roy
S.C. Banik
Arpita Barua
author_facet Ratri Chowdhury
Md Maruf Billah
Sanjeeb Roy
S.C. Banik
Arpita Barua
author_sort Ratri Chowdhury
collection DOAJ
description In plastic recycling, the precision with which a plastic component is separated during the recycling process from a combination determines the purity of the recycled plastic. In this study, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) particles are separated using a hydrocyclone separator, a density-based sorting device that uses centrifugal force and a flow pattern generated by liquid pressure to separate particles. In hydrocyclonic sortation, the density of the medium is one of the crucial variables that affect sortation because an effective separation requires a suitable density difference between particles and medium. If the medium density is too close to the particle density, there won't be enough centrifugal force to separate the particles from the fluid, and the separation will be inefficient. And when the medium density and particle density differ too much, excessive turbulence disrupts the sorting process, making the sortation process less efficient. Therefore, using both theoretical and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation approaches, the study analyzes the influence of medium density on separation efficiency and determines an optimal medium density at which separation efficiency is maximum. Theoretically, medium density should be 1374.07 kg/m3 for maximum efficiency, while 1380 kg/m3 has been determined to be optimal medium density for maximum efficiency in CFD simulation. The result of the CFD simulation is in good agreement with the outcome of the theoretical approach. In both scenarios, it turned out that the appropriate medium density for obtaining the best separation efficiency is closer to that of denser particles.
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spelling doaj.art-dad04c49da6e4d57a48f9d746f8ee9cb2024-03-15T04:44:21ZengElsevierResults in Materials2590-048X2024-03-0121100497Analyzing the effect of the density of medium on efficiency of hydrocyclone separator in sorting of PVC and PET using CFDRatri Chowdhury0Md Maruf Billah1Sanjeeb Roy2S.C. Banik3Arpita Barua4Department of Mechatronics and Industrial Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram, 4349, Bangladesh; Corresponding author.Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram, 4349, BangladeshDepartment of Mechatronics and Industrial Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram, 4349, BangladeshDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram, 4349, BangladeshDepartment of Mechatronics and Industrial Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram, 4349, BangladeshIn plastic recycling, the precision with which a plastic component is separated during the recycling process from a combination determines the purity of the recycled plastic. In this study, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) particles and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) particles are separated using a hydrocyclone separator, a density-based sorting device that uses centrifugal force and a flow pattern generated by liquid pressure to separate particles. In hydrocyclonic sortation, the density of the medium is one of the crucial variables that affect sortation because an effective separation requires a suitable density difference between particles and medium. If the medium density is too close to the particle density, there won't be enough centrifugal force to separate the particles from the fluid, and the separation will be inefficient. And when the medium density and particle density differ too much, excessive turbulence disrupts the sorting process, making the sortation process less efficient. Therefore, using both theoretical and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation approaches, the study analyzes the influence of medium density on separation efficiency and determines an optimal medium density at which separation efficiency is maximum. Theoretically, medium density should be 1374.07 kg/m3 for maximum efficiency, while 1380 kg/m3 has been determined to be optimal medium density for maximum efficiency in CFD simulation. The result of the CFD simulation is in good agreement with the outcome of the theoretical approach. In both scenarios, it turned out that the appropriate medium density for obtaining the best separation efficiency is closer to that of denser particles.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590048X23001358Computational fluid dynamicsEfficiency of hydrocycloneWaste plasticsSeparator
spellingShingle Ratri Chowdhury
Md Maruf Billah
Sanjeeb Roy
S.C. Banik
Arpita Barua
Analyzing the effect of the density of medium on efficiency of hydrocyclone separator in sorting of PVC and PET using CFD
Results in Materials
Computational fluid dynamics
Efficiency of hydrocyclone
Waste plastics
Separator
title Analyzing the effect of the density of medium on efficiency of hydrocyclone separator in sorting of PVC and PET using CFD
title_full Analyzing the effect of the density of medium on efficiency of hydrocyclone separator in sorting of PVC and PET using CFD
title_fullStr Analyzing the effect of the density of medium on efficiency of hydrocyclone separator in sorting of PVC and PET using CFD
title_full_unstemmed Analyzing the effect of the density of medium on efficiency of hydrocyclone separator in sorting of PVC and PET using CFD
title_short Analyzing the effect of the density of medium on efficiency of hydrocyclone separator in sorting of PVC and PET using CFD
title_sort analyzing the effect of the density of medium on efficiency of hydrocyclone separator in sorting of pvc and pet using cfd
topic Computational fluid dynamics
Efficiency of hydrocyclone
Waste plastics
Separator
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590048X23001358
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