From RANS CFD Simulation to Experimental Validation: Design Evaluation of Deflectors and the Enhanced Wall Treatment Model for a Complex Sorting Channel

To address the persistent issue of uneven fluid distribution within zigzag pneumatic biomass sorting channels, this study develops and evaluates multiple deflector configurations for zigzag pneumatic biomass sorting channels to address uneven fluid distribution. RANS-based CFD simulations show that strategically placed deflectors substantially enhance corner-vortex generation, reduce the peak-to-peak velocity fluctuation amplitude along the channel centerline by ۹۰%, and extend the uniform flow region by ۴۵%. These changes improve the internal flow dynamics of the channel. A movable point-array measurement system was developed for experimental validation. The results show that the Enhanced Wall Treatment (EWT) model predicts near-wall velocities more accurately than Scalable Wall Functions (SWF), with more than ۹۶% agreement with experimental data. This accuracy is attributed to the refined near-wall resolution of EWT. Although the deflectors increase the system pressure drop by ۷.۶%, the resulting improvements in flow uniformity and stability are expected to enhance the separation efficiency of mixed biomass particles.

کلیدواژه ها:

Computational fluid dynamics simulation ، Enhanced wall treatment ، Flow characteristics analysis ، Multiple inclined sorting channel ، Parametric design eval