Effect of rotor cage's outer and inner radii on the inner flow field of the turbo air classifier

Abstract The effects of rotor cage's outer and inner radii on flow field of the turbo air classifier are comparatively analyzed by numerical simulation using ANSYS‐FLUENT. The results of quantitative analysis show when the rotor cage's outer and inner radii are increased, the tangential velocity, radial velocity and upward axial velocity decrease in the annular region and near the entrance of the rotor cage. However, when the rotor cage's outer and inner radii are too large or too small, the tangential velocity and radial velocity will be fluctuated greatly. Moreover, the rotor cage's outer and inner radii directly influence the radial velocity distribution in the rotor cage channel. The rotor cage's outer and inner radii should not be too large or too small. Therefore, in the seven contrast rotor cage models, model 100–70 and 90–60 are selected to carry out the calcium carbonate classification experiments due to their small tangential velocity and radial velocity fluctuations and well‐distribution in the rotor cage channel. The experimental results reflect the characteristics of the numerically simulated flow field in the classifier.