A PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF VORTEX TUBES FOR GAS-PHASE FISSION HEATING

Technical Report · Fri Feb 20 04:00:00 EST 1959

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4098865· OSTI ID:4098865

Kerrebrock, J. L.; Keyes, Jr., J. J.

An experimental study of a simple jet-driven vortex tube indicated that the viscous retardation of the vortex motion is so severe as to prevent the formation of vortices of sufficient strength for vortex-cavity reactor applications. The large viscous effects are most likely due to the existence of turbulent flow in the tube; hence a second experimental study, aimed at production of laminar vortices, was initiated. Even though the viscous effects in the vortices are very strong, the variation of tangential velocity with radius is near that for an inviscid vortex, with the velocity being proporttonal to the radius to a power which varies between -0.4 and -0.8. A simple model representing the influence of the outflow through the central exit nozzle on the vortex core structure is proposed. Satisfactory agreement with the measured pressure distributions near the vortex center was found. Although the tangential Mach numbers generated in the present apparatus are too low to permit separation of gases under the conditions required in vortexcavity reactors, preliminary separations of helium from both bromine and a heavy fluorocarbon (C/sub 8/F/sub 16/) were obtained. The heavy gas concentration peaks were very near the center of the vortex tube at radial positions that are in reasonably good agreement with predictions. (auth)

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn.
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• NSA Number: NSA-15-008269
• OSTI ID: 4098865
• Report Number(s): ORNL-2660
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BROMINE
CARBON FLUORIDES
DENSITY
HELIUM
MATHEMATICS
MEASURED VALUES
NOZZLES
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
TUBES
TURBULENCE
VELOCITY
VISCOSITY