Design and simulation of an efficient gas-liquid separation device for component regulation of zeotropic mixtures

Improving the overall energy efficiency of thermodynamic cycles relies heavily on the replacement of traditional pure fluids with zeotropic mixtures. The selection of the optimal components within the zeotropic mixture depends on the specific operating conditions of the thermodynamic cycle. Therefore, significant enhancements in performance can be achieved across varying operating conditions by effectively controlling the composition of zeotropic mixtures in the cycle. According to the gas-liquid equilibrium characteristics of the zeotropic mixtures, the adjustment of the medium components and the boundary conditions can be realized if the components can be adjusted through the gas-liquid separation. In this study, a novel device is proposed for automatically regulating the speed of gas-liquid separation in order to separate the components of the zeotropic mixtures. The CFD simulation was utilized to analyze the structural parameters and boundary conditions that impact the efficiency of gas-liquid separation. The results indicate that the adjustable mass flow range of the optimal structure is broadened by 5.5 times compared to conventional gas-liquid separation devices, ranging from 0 kg/s to 0.15 kg/s. Additionally, within this range, the gas-liquid separation efficiency exceeds 95%, representing a 10% improvement over traditional phase separators.