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Comparison of different CFD approaches for the simulation of developing free surface two-phase flow in straight and bent pipes

  • Alexander Döß ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Thomas Höhne , Markus Schubert and Uwe Hampel
Published/Copyright: July 18, 2023
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Chemical Product and Process Modeling
From the journal Chemical Product and Process Modeling Volume 19 Issue 2

Abstract

Two-phase flows in feed pipes of thermal separation columns have complex flow patterns and are difficult to predict during sizing and design for geometries with non-straight pipes. Numerical simulation codes have only been validated for very few pipe geometries. This work benchmarks the state-of-the-art Volume-of-Fluid model (VoF) and the Algebraic Interfacial Area Density model (AIAD) for the simulation of two-phase flows with the Eulerian/Eulerian CFD approach for straight pipes and horizontal bends as well as for different pipe diameters and flow rates. Both models are compared and shortcomings of the predicted velocity fields from AIAD in the vicinity of horizontal bends are highlighted. While phase dynamics, e.g., for wavy or disperse flows, are not well reproduced by either model, the phase distribution patterns in straight tubes and bends agree reasonably well with experimental data. Regardless of the geometry, better void fraction prediction is obtained for higher flow velocities and the larger pipe diameter. From the numerical results, recommendations for the selection of feed inlet devices are derived.

Keywords: AIAD; CFD; flow morphology; horizontal two-phase feeds; numerical simulation; VoF
Corresponding author: Alexander Döß, Institute of Fluid Dynamics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden, Germany, E-mail:

Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully acknowledge the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWI) for the financial support of the project ‘‘TERESA’’ (FKZ 03ET1395).

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: None declared.

  3. Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

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Received: 2023-03-28
Accepted: 2023-07-05
Published Online: 2023-07-18

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Editorial
  3. CPPM special issue in honor of Professor Faïçal Larachi
  4. Research Articles
  5. Predicting buoyant jet characteristics: a machine learning approach
  6. Insights into the bubble formation dynamics in converging shape microchannels using CLSVOF method
  7. Comparison of different CFD approaches for the simulation of developing free surface two-phase flow in straight and bent pipes
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https://doi.org/10.1515/cppm-2023-0028
Keywords for this article
AIAD; CFD; flow morphology; horizontal two-phase feeds; numerical simulation; VoF

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Editorial
  3. CPPM special issue in honor of Professor Faïçal Larachi
  4. Research Articles
  5. Predicting buoyant jet characteristics: a machine learning approach
  6. Insights into the bubble formation dynamics in converging shape microchannels using CLSVOF method
  7. Comparison of different CFD approaches for the simulation of developing free surface two-phase flow in straight and bent pipes
  8. A new approach to model the fluid dynamics in sandwich packings
  9. Effect of novel mixed impeller on local bubble size and flow regime transition in pilot scale gas-liquid stirred tank reactor
  10. Quantitative structure-electrochemistry relationship modeling of a series of anticancer agents using MLR and ANN approaches
  11. Extractive desulfurization of crude petroleum oil and liquid fuels using trihexyl tetradecyl phosphonium bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate ionic liquid
  12. CFD-aided contraction-expansion static mixer design for oil-in-water emulsification
  13. Liquid-liquid flow pattern and mass transfer in a rotating millimeter channel reactor
  14. By-product Eucalyptus leaves valorization in the basic dye adsorption: kinetic equilibrium and thermodynamic study
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