Structural Parameter Optimization of the Helical Blade of the Variable-Pitch, Downhole, Cyclone Separator Based on the Response Surface Method

Qi Nie, Meiqiu Li () and Sizhu Zhou
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Qi Nie: School of Mechanical Engineering, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023, China
Meiqiu Li: School of Mechanical Engineering, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023, China
Sizhu Zhou: School of Mechanical Engineering, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: Aiming at the problems of pipeline blockage and equipment wear caused by large sand production in shallow gas hydrate mining on the seabed, based on the solid-state fluidization mining method, the idea of in situ separation of natural gas hydrate is proposed, and the downhole design is based on the physical parameters of hydrate mixed slurry. For the in situ helical separator, the CFD-Fluent commercial software was used to establish an analysis model and optimize the response surface of the model. The effects of the three-stage variable-pitch helix and blades on the performance of the separation device were investigated. The simulation results and response surface optimization were conducted through experiments to verify the accuracy. The results show that the third-stage pitch has the greatest impact on the separation efficiency and pressure drop, while the first-stage pitch has the least impact. The pressure drop and separation efficiency are fully considered. After the response surface optimization, the optimal three-stage pitch is the first-stage pitch x 1 = 72.227 mm, the pitch of the second stage x 2 = 105 mm, and the pitch of the third stage x 3 = 124.817 mm. The separation efficiency of the optimal structure is verified by experiments. Compared with the previously used fixed-pitch downhole cyclone separator, the three-stage variable pitch cyclone, the separator improves the separation efficiency from 88.29% to 97.16% while keeping the pressure drop unchanged.

Keywords: natural gas hydrate; sand removal; response surface optimization; structural optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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