CFD simulation and experimental research on ice slurry concentrator.

The Rietema hydrocyclone for ice slurry concentrating has been experimentally studied firstly in this work. The results showed that the ice particles concentration in the overflow was only 29.94 kg/m3 when pressure drop ratio (PDR) was 1, while the recovery rate of ice particles could reach 98.9%. Lowering PDR can increase the ice particles concentration in the overflow slightly, but at the same time reduce the recovery rate. Following that, the optimal structural proportion of the hydrocyclone for ice slurry concentration was obtained by numerical simulation with orthogonal optimization. The ice particles concentration in the overflow using this hydrocyclone with the optimal structure could reach 88.64 kg/m3 and the recovery rate could reach 84.59%.