Avaliação numérica da distribuição do fluxo de ar em filtro de mangas

Abstract

Fluid-dynamic phenomena can present complex and not very intuitive characteristics, making their analysis, in many cases, difficult. Companies that manufacture products that operate under this physics often end up building oversized equipment or with design flaws because there is no clear understanding of what is happening. The bag filter fits in this field, where its operation consists of passing a flow of air loaded with particulate material by its filter elements, in order to retain the solid part and allow only the passage of air. The objective of this work was to analyze and understand how the fluid behaves inside a commercial model filter, seeking to standardize the flow distribution along its length. It is known that a uniform flow provides a longer service life for the filter elements, as it causes the bags to receive a similar flow, with an adequate use of the set. To carry out the study, a numerical evaluation by finite volumes was performed using computational fluid dynamics, where the velocities in the different regions of the filter were analyzed. After carrying out the simulations, it was possible to verify the critical points of air distribution, proposing design alternatives to minimize these effects on the equipment. With the new constructive configuration, it was possible to obtain improvements in the filtration parameters, reducing the air-cloth ratio by 28% and the ascending speed by 24.4%. In addition, there was a 36.1% reduction in the speed in the filter hopper, due to a better flow distribution. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]