Design and optimization of a cavitating device for Congo red decolorization: Experimental investigation and CFD simulation

Zahra Abbas-Shiroodi; Mohammad-Taghi Sadeghi; Soroush Baradaran

doi:10.1016/j.ultsonch.2020.105386

Design and optimization of a cavitating device for Congo red decolorization: Experimental investigation and CFD simulation

Ultrason Sonochem. 2021 Mar:71:105386. doi: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2020.105386. Epub 2020 Nov 13.

Authors

Zahra Abbas-Shiroodi¹, Mohammad-Taghi Sadeghi², Soroush Baradaran¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical, Oil and Gas Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran.
² School of Chemical, Oil and Gas Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: sadeghi@iust.ac.ir.

Abstract

The aim of this work is to perform design and optimization of a cavitating device based on CFD simulation. A set of operational and geometrical parameters such as convergence angle, divergence angle, length of throat, and inlet pressure that can affect the hydrodynamic cavitation phenomenon generating in a Venturi are evaluated through CFD simulation and experimental approaches. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to achieve the optimum geometrical configuration. The CFD results show that the maximum cavitation zone in the Venturi can be obtained when half angle of the convergence section, throat length and half angle of the divergence section are 22.7°, 4 mm, and 6.5°, respectively. A maximum decolorization of 38.8% has been obtained using the designed Venturi at cavitation number (Cv) of 0.12. Additionally, the results were compared to that of various orifice plates. A decolorization of 26.2% using 33 holes orifice plate and 11.55% in one hole orifice plate approved the superiority of the designed Venturi.

Keywords: CFD; Cavitation zone; Circular Venturi; Hydrodynamic cavitation; RSM.