A new approach to evaluate and optimize swirl tube demister efficiency

The focus of this report is on a new technique to quantify the air-water separation efficiency of a swirl tube demister that has application in numerous water purification systems. This experimental study adds to the existing literature by quantifying the effect of design parameters on both the previously studied water collection efficiency, as well as the air bypass efficiency, defined as the ratio of the air mass flowrate exiting at the desired air outlet, over the inlet air mass flowrate. This parameter is important for the water purification field because air acts as a carrier of contaminants, necessitating that it does not leak into the purified water collection chamber. Results from this study showed there was a clear trend when comparing the air bypass efficiency to the inlet air to water ratio. As the inlet air to water ratio increased, the air bypass efficiency decreased. This trend was consistent among four different experimental apparatuses indicating that either the geometry of the swirl tube had very little effect of the air bypass efficiency, or that the ranges tested for dimensions thought to affect the swirl tube performance were not varied enough.