Simulation of vortex tube performance and three-dimensional flow with strong swirl in vortex tube

The energy separation and the increase of heating effect and the decrease of cooling effect in the vortex tube with various gases, such as R41, R32, R23, R290, R134a, R1234yf, was studied in the numerically simulated. The pressure field and temperature field and velocity field of the vortex tube were analyzed with R41. The results show that the R41 in the vortex tube, the cold and hot performance will best, the maximum temperature difference what be between cool area and hot area is 5.2 K. The numerical results show that flow motion inside the vortex tube presents extraordinary complicated behavior; The flow inside the vortex tube exist an outer region of quasi-free vortex flow and an inner region of quasi-forced vortex flow; there are the parallel flow, reverse flow and secondary flow in the vortex tube, The interface between parallel flow and reverse flow is that the energy separation place in the vortex tube.