FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT OF A VORTEX TUBE FOR EXHAUST AIR ENERGY RECOVERY IN A PNEUMATIC CYLINDER

This article discusses an approach to improving the energy efficiency of pneumatic actuators by recovering energy from exhaust air using a vortex tube based on the Rank-Hirsch effect. Based on a review of the literature, the selection of the pipe’s geometric parameters is justified, and a three-dimensional CAD model of the pipe is constructed, adapted to the conditions of supply from the exhaust line of a pneumatic cylinder. The methodology includes numerical simulation of the airflow in ANSYS CFX under steady-state boundary conditions corresponding to the characteristic parameters of the exhaust flow. The results confirm the formation of a cold axial core and a hot peripheral flow zone, with maxima of static entropy and turbulent kinetic energy localized immediately behind the nozzle rim. The obtained data indicate the fundamental possibility of using the cold flow for localized cooling of components in technological systems without the use of additional energy.