Performance characteristics of a divergent vortex tube

In this paper performance characteristics for a Ranque-Hilsch vortex tube are presented. The was of divergent design and optimised both size performance, to be used supply cold air turbomachinery experiments with feed in the pressure range 3.0–7.0 bar, overall mass flow rates 0.05–0.14 kg/s. Optimum fixed parameters selected from literature were: ratio cold-exit diameter inlet internal (0.50); combined inlet-nozzle throat area cross-sectional (0.22); half-angle (3°); number nozzles (6); hot exhaust conical splitter (45°) length (20). Free that were investigated total-to-static between conditions (3.0, 5.0, 7.0) cold-gas fraction (0.0–1.0). Comprehensive performed characterise terms following parameters: non-dimensional hot-outlet temperatures; hot-gas energy separation; isentropic efficiency referenced expansion; coefficient (COP). A transient heat flux correction technique implemented correct unsteady working gas chamber walls. Joule-Thomson effects accounted by introducing corrected total temperature. Cold-exit hot-exit temperature separations found increase ratio. Non-dimensional had minimum at approximately 0.40. increased linearly fraction. COP decreased increasing peak value 0.60. Isentropic relatively insensitive 0.23. lowest (normalised temperature) 0.91, highest 0.097, Full details given, allowing implementation other researchers.