Design basis of industrial acoustic separators

Abstract

This study presents the process of obtaining a basic design for an industrial scale acoustic separator based on flow characteristics inside the separation chamber, on acoustic analysis within the chamber and calculated particle trajectories combining these two analyses. Adequate criteria for subsequent optimisation were evaluated. Results showed that positioning the piezoelectric transducer surfaces perpendicular to the flow direction and introducing chamber partitioning with multiple flow lanes to enforce laminar flow, resulted in high particle retention. The average particle displacement was found to be related to acoustic pressure in the fluid, showing large retention at peak pressures above 1 MPa or average pressures above 0.5 MPa for small (10 µm), near buoyant (1100 kg/m3) particles at a flow speed of 3.5 cm/s, thus providing comprehensible criteria for subsequent optimisation