Numerical simulation of oil-water separation process in disc separator

Using Numerical Methods to research disc separator inner flow field is an important method to optimize the design. This article based on VOF model, N-S equations and RNG k-ε model, solved with the SIMPLE algorithm, simulated separator oil-water separation process respectively with initial state filled with water, oil and oil-water mixture this three different initialization conditions by using flunet software. The numerical simulation results show that the initial condition has little effect on the oil-water separation, and eventually a stable layer interface can be formed and purification rate can reach at 98%. There is strong turbulence near the inlet and wastewater outlet, while flow is relatively stable between the discs gaps and near the oil outlet, basically in a laminar flow state. The research results laid a foundation of separator design and optimization and also can reduce the time and cost required for experiments.