Numerical Simulation of the Trajectories of Insulating Particles in a Tribo-Aero-Electrostatic Separator

Abstract

Electrostatic technologies have emerged as the solution of choice for the recycling of insulation contained in waste materials. The main objective of this paper is to contribute to the better understanding of the operating conditions of a new class of tribo-aero-electrostatic separators. The study of the motion of charged particles under the influence of an electric field by numerical tools facilitates the construction, implementation, and control of new electrostatic separation equipment. In effect, the trajectory of the particle can be determined precisely by the equation of forces that act on it in the electric field of the separator. COMSOL software was employed for the analysis of the electric field. A program written in MATLAB served then to simulating the trajectories of electrically charged insulating particles in the separator and enables the study of the factors that might influence the process of selective sorting of the various granular materials, i.e., geometry of the fluidized bed, velocity of the fluidization air, high-voltage applied to the electrodes, electric charge of the particles, granule size, and specific mass. Thus, an effective separation occurs in the case of particles characterized by charge/mass ratios on the order of -9 and +9 μC/kg.