NUMERICAL PREDICTION OF TWO-PHASE FLOW IN BUBBLE COLUMNS

0271-2091

bubble columns ; computational fluid dynamics ; turbulent two-phase flow ; Engineering ; Engineering General

Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000

Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics

A numerical model is described for the prediction of turbulent continuum equations for two-phase gas-liquid flows in bubble columns. The mathematical formulation is based on the solution of each phase. The two-phase model incorporates interfacial models of momentum transfer to account for the effects of virtual mass, lift, drag and pressure discontinuities at the gas-liquid interface. Turbulence is represented by means of a two-equation k-∊ model modified to account for bubble-induced turbulence production. The numerical discretization is based on a staggered finite-volume approach, and the coupled equations are solved in a segregated manner using the IPSA method. The model is implemented generally in the multipurpose PHOENICS computer code, although the present appllications are restricted to two-dimensional flows. The model is applied to simulate two bubble column geometries and the predictions are compared with the measured circulation patterns and void fraction distributions.

16 Ill.

Electronic Resource