An experimental study of the operation of a vortex tube

Flow in the energy-separation chamber of a vortex tube is investigated experimentally and analytically. It is shown that flow near the axis of the chamber is formed by the outflow of the working medium from the peripheral region, with an intensity maximum observed in the cross sections adjacent to the nozzle. Flow in the energy-separation chamber is characterized by an axial gradient of the angular momentum resulting from eddy damping and gas outflow to the axial region. The characteristics of the cold-flow formation determined here and the calculated hydraulic loss coefficients provide guidelines for further improvement of vortex tubes and evaluation of their operating limits.