Multiphase Flow Regimes and Approaches in CFD Simulation

By: Amir Heidari (amirheidari@iust.ac.ir) Academic webpage: http://www.webpages.iust.ac.ir/amirheidari

Amir Heidari http://www.webpages.iust.ac.ir/amirheidari

Multiphase flow regimes can be grouped into four categories:

gas-liquid or liquid-liquid flows; gas-solid flows; liquid-solid flows; and three-phase flows.

Gas-Liquid or Liquid-Liquid Flows: (see Figure 1)

Bubbly flow: This is the flow of discrete gaseous or fluid bubbles in a continuous fluid. Droplet flow: This is the flow of discrete fluid droplets in a continuous gas. Slug flow: This is the flow of large bubbles in a continuous fluid. Stratified/free-surface flow: This is the flow of immiscible fluids separated by a clearly-defined interface.

Gas-Solid Flows: (see Figure 1)

Particle-laden flow: This is flow of discrete particles in a continuous gas. Pneumatic transport: This is a flow pattern that depends on factors such as solid loading, Reynolds numbers, and particle properties. Typical patterns are dune flow, slug flow, packed beds, and homogeneous flow. Fluidized bed: This consists of a vertical cylinder containing particles, into which a gas is introduced through a distributor. The gas rising through the bed suspends the particles. Depending on the gas flow rate, bubbles appear and rise through the bed, intensifying the mixing within the bed.

Liquid-Solid Flows:
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Amir Heidari http://www.webpages.iust.ac.ir/amirheidari Slurry flow: This flow is the transport of particles in liquids. The fundamental behavior of liquid-solid flows varies with the properties of the solid particles relative to those of the liquid. In slurry flows, the Stokes number (see Equation 23.2-4) is normally less than 1. When the Stokes number is larger than 1, the characteristic of the flow is liquid-solid fluidization. Hydrotransport: This describes densely-distributed solid particles in a continuous liquid Sedimentation: This describes a tall column initially containing a uniform dispersed mixture of particles. At the bottom, the particles will slow down and form a sludge layer. At the top, a clear interface will appear, and in the middle a constant settling zone will exist.

Figure 1

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Amir Heidari http://www.webpages.iust.ac.ir/amirheidari

Three-Phase Flows:
Three-phase flows are combinations of the other flow regimes listed in the previous sections.

Bubbly flow examples include absorbers, aeration, air lift pumps, cavitation, evaporators, flotation, and scrubbers. Droplet flow examples include absorbers, atomizers, combustors, cryogenic pumping, dryers, evaporation, gas cooling, and scrubbers. Slug flow examples include large bubble motion in pipes or tanks. Stratified/free-surface flow examples include sloshing in offshore separator devices and boiling and condensation in nuclear reactors. Particle-laden flow examples include cyclone separators, air classifiers, dust collectors, and dust-laden environmental flows. Pneumatic transport examples include transport of cement, grains, and metal powders. Fluidized bed examples include fluidized bed reactors and circulating fluidized beds. Slurry flow examples include slurry transport and mineral processing Hydrotransport examples include mineral processing and biomedical and physiochemical fluid systems Sedimentation examples include mineral processing.

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Amir Heidari http://www.webpages.iust.ac.ir/amirheidari

The first step in solving any multiphase problem is:

to determine which of the regimes provides some broad guidelines for determining appropriate models for each regime, and how to determine the degree of interphase coupling for flows involving bubbles, droplets, or particles, and the appropriate model for different amounts of coupling.

Approaches to Multiphase Modeling

In FLUENT, three different Euler-Euler multiphase models are available: o The volume of fluid (VOF) model, o The mixture model, o and the Eulerian model.

The VOF Model

The VOF model is a surface-tracking technique applied to a fixed Eulerian mesh. It is designed for two or more immiscible fluids where the position of the interface between the fluids is of interest. In the VOF model, a single set of momentum equations is shared by the fluids, and the volume fraction of each of the fluids in each computational cell is tracked throughout the domain. Applications of the VOF model include stratified flows, free-surface flows, filling, sloshing, the motion of large bubbles in a liquid, the motion of liquid after a dam break, the prediction of jet breakup (surface tension), and the steady or transient tracking of any liquid-gas interface.

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Amir Heidari http://www.webpages.iust.ac.ir/amirheidari

The Mixture Model

The mixture model is designed for two or more phases (fluid or particulate). As in the Eulerian model, the phases are treated as interpenetrating continua. The mixture model solves for the mixture momentum equation and prescribes relative velocities to describe the dispersed phases. Applications of the mixture model include particleladen flows with low loading, bubbly flows, sedimentation, and cyclone separators. The mixture model can also be used without relative velocities for the dispersed phases to model homogeneous multiphase flow.

The Eulerian Model

The Eulerian model is the most complex of the multiphase models in FLUE T. It solves a set of n momentum and continuity equations for each phase. Coupling is achieved through the pressure and interphase exchange coefficients. The manner in which this coupling is handled depends upon the type of phases involved; granular (fluid-solid) flows are handled differently than nongranular (fluid-fluid) flows. For granular flows, the properties are obtained from application of kinetic theory. Momentum exchange between the phases is also dependent upon the type of mixture being modeled. FLUE T's user-defined functions allow you to customize the calculation of the momentum exchange. Applications of the Eulerian multiphase model include bubble columns, risers, particle suspension, and fluidized beds.

Model Comparisons
For bubbly, droplet, and particle-laden flows in which the phases mix and/or dispersed-phase volume fractions exceed 10%, use either the mixture model or the Eulerian model. For slug flows, use the VOF model. For stratified/free-surface flows, use the VOF model. For pneumatic transport, use the mixture model for homogeneous flow or the Eulerian model for granular flow. For fluidized beds, use the Eulerian model for granular flow. For slurry flows and hydrotransport , use the mixture or Eulerian model Page 6 of 11

Amir Heidari http://www.webpages.iust.ac.ir/amirheidari For sedimentation, use the Eulerian model. For general, complex multiphase flows that involve multiple flow regimes, select the aspect of the flow that is of most interest, and choose the model that is most appropriate for that aspect of the flow. ote that the accuracy of results will not be as good as for flows that involve just one flow regime, since the model you use will be valid for only part of the flow you are modeling.

To choose between the mixture model and the Eulerian model:

If there is a wide distribution of the dispersed phases (i.e., if the particles vary in size and the largest particles do not separate from the primary flow field), the mixture model may be preferable (i.e., less computationally expensive). If the dispersed phases are concentrated just in portions of the domain, you should use the Eulerian model instead.

If interphase drag laws that are applicable to your system are available (either within FLUENT or through a user-defined function), the Eulerian model can usually provide more accurate results than the mixture model. Even though you can apply the same drag laws to the mixture model, as you can for a nongranular Eulerian simulation, if the interphase drag laws are unknown or their applicability to your system is questionable, the mixture model may be a better choice. For most cases with spherical particles, then the Schiller- aumann law is more than adequate. For cases with nonspherical particles, then a user-defined function can be used.

If you want to solve a simpler problem, which requires less computational effort, the mixture model may be a better option, since it solves a smaller number of equations Page 7 of 11

Amir Heidari http://www.webpages.iust.ac.ir/amirheidari than the Eulerian model. If accuracy is more important than computational effort, the Eulerian model is a better choice.

Keep in mind, however, that the complexity of the Eulerian model can make it less computationally stable than the mixture model.

The process of solving a multiphase system is inherently difficult, and you may encounter some stability or convergence problems. If a time-dependent problem is being solved, and patched fields are used for the initial conditions, it is recommended that you perform a few iterations with a small time step, at least an order of magnitude smaller than the characteristic time of the flow. You can increase the size of the time step after performing a few time steps. For steady solutions it is recommended that you start with a small underrelaxation factor for the volume fraction, it is also recommended not to start with a patch of volume fraction equal to zero. Another option is to start with a mixture multiphase calculation, and then switch to the Eulerian multiphase model.

Overview of the VOF Model:

The VOF model can model two or more immiscible fluids by solving a single set of momentum equations and tracking the volume fraction of each of the fluids throughout Page 8 of 11

Amir Heidari http://www.webpages.iust.ac.ir/amirheidari the domain. Typical applications include the prediction of jet breakup, the motion of large bubbles in a liquid, the motion of liquid after a dam break, and the steady or transient tracking of any liquid-gas interface. The VOF formulation in FLUE T is generally used to compute a time-dependent solution, but for problems in which you are concerned only with a steady-state solution, it is possible to perform a steady-state calculation. A steady-state VOF calculation is sensible only when your solution is independent of the initial conditions and there are distinct inflow boundaries for the individual phases. For example, since the shape of the free surface inside a rotating cup depends on the initial level of the fluid, such a problem must be solved using the time-dependent formulation. On the other hand, the flow of water in a channel with a region of air on top and a separate air inlet can be solved with the steady-state formulation.

Surface Tension

The VOF model can also include the effects of surface tension along the interface between each pair of phases. The model can be augmented by the additional specification of the contact angles between the phases and the walls. You can specify a surface tension coefficient as a constant, as a function of temperature, or through a UDF. The solver will include the additional tangential stress terms (causing what is termed as Marangoni convection) that arise due to the variation in surface tension coefficient. Variable surface tension coefficient effects are usually important only in zero/near-zero gravity conditions.

Wall Adhesion

An option to specify a wall adhesion angle in conjunction with the surface tension model is also available in the VOF model. The model is taken from work done by Brackbill et al. [40]. Rather than impose this boundary condition at the wall itself, Page 9 of 11

Amir Heidari http://www.webpages.iust.ac.ir/amirheidari the contact angle that the fluid is assumed to make with the wall is used to adjust the surface normal in cells near the wall. This so-called dynamic boundary condition results in the adjustment of the curvature of the surface near the wall.

Overview of Mixture Model

The mixture model is a simplified multiphase model that can be used to model multiphase flows where the phases move at different velocities, but assume local equilibrium over short spatial length scales. The coupling between the phases should be strong. It can also be used to model homogeneous multiphase flows with very strong coupling and the phases moving at the same velocity. In addition, the mixture model can be used to calculate non- ewtonian viscosity.

The mixture model can model n phases (fluid or particulate) by solving the momentum, continuity, and energy equations for the mixture, the volume fraction equations for the secondary phases, and algebraic expressions for the relative velocities. Typical applications include sedimentation, cyclone separators, particleladen flows with low loading, and bubbly flows where the gas volume fraction remains low.

The mixture model is a good substitute for the full Eulerian multiphase model in several cases. A full multiphase model may not be feasible when there is a wide distribution of the particulate phase or when the interphase laws are unknown or their reliability can be questioned. A simpler model like the mixture model can perform as well as a full multiphase model while solving a smaller number of variables than the full multiphase model.

The mixture model allows you to select granular phases and calculates all properties of the granular phases. This is applicable for liquid-solid flows.

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Amir Heidari http://www.webpages.iust.ac.ir/amirheidari

The mixture model, like the VOF model, uses a single-fluid approach. It differs from the VOF model in two respects: The mixture model allows the phases to be interpenetrating.

The mixture model allows the phases to move at different velocities, using the concept of slip velocities. ( ote that the phases can also be assumed to move at the same velocity, and the mixture model is then reduced to a homogeneous multiphase model.)

Overview of Eulerian Model

The Eulerian multiphase model in FLUENT allows for the modeling of multiple separate, yet interacting phases. The phases can be liquids, gases, or solids in nearly any combination. An Eulerian treatment is used for each phase, in contrast to the Eulerian-Lagrangian treatment that is used for the discrete phase model.

With the Eulerian multiphase model, the number of secondary phases is limited only by memory requirements and convergence behavior. Any number of secondary phases can be modeled, provided that sufficient memory is available. For complex multiphase flows, however, you may find that your solution is limited by convergence behavior.

FLUENT's Eulerian multiphase model does not distinguish between fluid-fluid and fluid-solid (granular) multiphase flows. A granular flow is simply one that involves at least one phase that has been designated as a granular phase.

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