PIV (particle image velocimetry) measurements of Sampling Cyclones

Description

Cyclones are devices that operate based on centrifugal force applied to the fluid stream. These devices are efficient in handling a wide range of particulate sizes. Special analytical cyclone designs exist to remove fine particles (<10 µm), e.g. PM2.5, from exhaust streams. Literature lacks detailed comparison of the proposed design models in terms of pressure loss, flow profiles, and separation efficiency. Thorough characterization of the cyclone characteristics is a fundamental pre‑requisite for efficient model selection and design. All investigations focus on the cyclone performance in lab‑scale application, e.g. to remove solids from off gas streams.
The successful candidate will get an introduction to the design process of cyclones as well as the peculiarities of the different analytical cyclones. Experimental characterization activities will include flow profile characterization by means of particle image velocimetry (PIV) using the commercial software of the PIV system and the open-source alternative openPIV. Additional tasks may include the determination of separation characteristics, or the validation of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code for the simulation of such cyclones.
The candidate will work in close collaboration with the supervisors and gets continuous support from them.

Aim
Flow patterns inside the analytical cyclones are underexplored in literature. The aim of this thesis is to determine the flow profile of these cyclones using PIV and compare the commercial PIV software with the open-source alternative openPIV

Objectives:

• Mandatory:
  • PIV (particle image velocimetry) measurements
  • Evaluation of PIV data using the commercial software and openPIV
• Optional (depending on the candidate’s interest and the start):
  • Evaluation of the separation characteristics
  • Validation of a CFD code for cyclones