Étude de simulation du champ électrique dans un séparateur électrostatique

Abstract

This work focuses on the two-dimensional numerical modeling of a two-phase moving-wave electrostatic conveyor, applied to the separation of granular copper/PVC mixtures. The simulation was performed using COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3a with the finite element method, for three configurations: a vacuum conveyor, one with a conductive copper particle, and one with an insulating PVC particle. The analysis examines the distribution of the electric potential and the intensity of the electric field, particularly at the electrodes and particle corners. The results obtained are compared to those of a previous study performed with Flux 2D, revealing satisfactory convergence between the two solvers with a relative difference of 5.5% to 7.5%. It is demonstrated that the nature of the particle significantly influences the topology of the electric field, with the conductive copper particle generating a critical field concentration capable of causing dielectric breakdown.