Optimization of Low Pressure Vortex Tube via Different Axial Angles of Injection Nozzles

In this article, a Ranque–Hilsch Vortex Tube has been optimized utilizing axial angles for nozzles. Effect of nozzles angles on the flow behavior has been investigated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques. A finite volume approach with the standard k–ε turbulence model has been used to carry out all the computations. The dimensions of studied vortex tubes are kept the same for all models and the performance of machine is studied under 5 different angles (β) including 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 degree adjusted to the nozzles. Achieving to a minimum cold exit temperature is the main goal of this numerical research. The results show that utilizing this kind of nozzle improves the cooling capacity of device for most of inlet mass flow rates. Finally, some results of the CFD models are validated by the available experimental data which show reasonable agreement, and other ones are compared qualitatively.