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Lecture 01: Introduction to Multiphase Flow

ANSYS Fluent Multiphase Flow Modeling

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 What is Multiphase Flow?

• Multi-phase flows are simply any fluid flow system

consisting of
− Two or more distinct phases flowing simultaneously in
mixture
− Flows of components which are not mixed at the molecular
level
• Multi-phase flows exist in many different forms in
natural and industrial processes

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 Examples of Multiphase Flows

• Power generation
− Steam generator
− Cooling towers
− Steam turbines
− IC engines
−…

Credit: Terry Whalebone CC-BY 2.0

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 Examples of Multiphase Flows

• Process systems
− Spray dryer
− Phase separators
− Distillation columns
− Oil production and transport
−…

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 Examples of Multiphase Flows

• Environmental control
− Sewage treatment plants
− Clarifiers
− Erosion and debris flows
− Tsunami warning systems
−…

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 CFD Modeling

• Devices are very complex

• Turbulence, Phase Change, Chemistry
• CFD modeling used to gain insight and
understanding
− Flow regimes
− Holdups
− Size distributions

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 What is a Phase?

Gas Liquid

Solid Immiscible
components

Oil + Water

• For CFD modeling, the concept of a phase is also extended to include an identifiable class of material
that has a particular inertial response to and interaction with the flow field in which it is immersed
− For example differently sized particles of the same material could be considered to be different phases in a
multiphase simulation

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 Multiphase vs. Multispecies
Multiphase flows have a clear and distinct macro level interface between
different phases while multispecies flow has mixing on the molecular
level. There is no macro level interface between different species.

Water + Oil = Multiphase Water + Alcohol = Multispecies

(Distinct Interface) (Molecular Mixing, No Interface)

It is possible for one or more phases in a multiphase flow to be defined as multispecies mixtures
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 Classification of Multiphase Flows
Cyclone
Separator
Gaseous
Wet Steam
Smoke1
Spray /Droplet flow Dust

Churn Gas- Gas- Diluted particle cloud

Liquid Solid
Stratified flow
Dense particle cloud
Dense bubbly
Liquid- Granular flows
diluted bubbly Solid
Solid motion
Liquid Solid
Fluidized
Bed Reactor
Packed bed
Sedimentation Porous medium
Fluidized bed
(motionless)

1 If smoke is very dilute, species transport is also appropriate

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 Classification of Multiphase Flows: Gas-Solid Flows
• Gas–solid flow, is concerned with the motion of
suspended solid particles in the gas phase
• Depending on the particle number density, these
flows can be characterized as either being dilute or
dense

Dense Dilute

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 Classification of Multiphase Flows: Liquid-Solid Flows
• Liquid–Solid flow is the transport of solid particles
in liquid
– Also referred to as slurry transportation

• Slurry transportation is required in a diverse range

of sectors, from food to minerals processing; and
oil sands processing to nuclear waste management

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 Classification of Multiphase Flows: Gas-Liquid Flows

• Gas–Liquid flows can assume several different configurations:

− Dispersed Flows,
− Mixed or transitional flows, and
− Separated flows
• Can also be extended to general Fluid-Fluid flows to consider flows with two
or more immiscible liquids
− Dispersed flows and separated flows
• Examples of dispersed flows
− Motion of bubbles in a liquid flow
− Motion of liquid droplets in a gas
− Motion of dispersed liquid droplets in another liquid where the two liquids are
immiscible
• Bubbles and Droplets are permitted to deform freely within the continuous
phase, and can assume different geometrical shapes:
− Spherical, elliptical, distorted, and cap
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 Classification of Multiphase Flows: Gas-Liquid Flows

• Free surface (separated or stratified) flows, are

identified by the presence of well-defined interfaces
between gas and liquid flows, or between different
immiscible liquids, and both fluid phases are
considered as continuous
Hydrodynamic wave loading on ship

• The transitional flows on hand denote the

intermediate states between the dispersed flows
and separated flows, and is characterized by the
presence of both of these flows

Churn-turbulent flow in
horizontal air and water flow

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 Classifying Multiphase Flows

• Phase morphology :
− Dispersed phase: occupies disconnected regions of space.
− Continuous phase: connected in space.
• Types of systems:
− Dispersed system : Disperse-Continuous flows. Dispersed system

− Separated system :Continuous-Continuous flows.

Separated system

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 Dispersed System (Dispersed – Continuous Flows)

• One phase exists as particles, droplets, or bubbles.

• Examples:
- Rain: air + water, droplet flow. Suitable models:
- Soft drinks: Liquid + bubbles, bubbly flow. DPM
- Slurry: Sand + water, particulate flow. Eulerian
- Immiscible liquid droplets: Oil in water, droplet flow.
• High density ratios are possible.

Bubbly flow Slurry flow

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 Separated Systems (Continuous - Continuous Flows)

• Free surface flows are the most common examples

− Open channel flows
− Mold filling Suitable models:
− Dam break VOF
− Gas tank filling or sloshing Multi-fluid VOF (Eulerian)
• Shape of the interface is of interest
Dam Break

Channel flows

Archimedes Screw

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 Fundamental Definitions: Volume Fractions

• The volume fraction of the dispersed phase is defined as

𝑽𝒑
𝜶𝒑 =
𝑽
• Equivalently, the volume fraction of the continuous phase is:
𝑽𝒒 V: Total representative
𝜶𝒒 = volume
𝑽 Vp: Volume occupied by
orange dispersed phase
• By definition, the sum of the volume fractions must be unity
Vq: Volume occupied by
blue continuous phase
෍ 𝜶𝒊 = 𝟏 Vp + Vq = V
𝒊

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 Fundamental Definitions: Superficial and Phase Velocities

• The superficial velocity of each phase is the mass flow rate of that phase divided by
the flow cross sectional area A and the phase density. The superficial velocity for
the dispersed phase is
𝒎ሶ 𝒒
𝑼𝒒 =
𝝆𝒒 𝑨
− In other words, it is the velocity of the phase if it occupied the whole cross sectional area

• The phase velocity is the actual velocity of the phase and it is related to the
superficial velocity by the volume fraction
𝑼𝒒
𝒖𝒒 =
𝜶𝒒
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 Fundamental Definitions: Dilute and Dense Flows

• A dilute flow, is one in which the particle motion is

controlled by the fluid forces (drag and lift)
• A dense flow, on the other hand, is one in which the
particle motion is controlled by collisions
• There is a further classification of dense flows:
collision- and contact-dominated.
− In collision-dominated flow the collisions between the
particles control the features of the flow, such as in a
fluidized bed
− In a contact dominated flow, the particle motion is
controlled by continuous contact such as a grain hopper or
egg timer (top section)

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 Fundamental Definitions: Phase Coupling

• If the flow of one phase affects the other, and there Four-way coupling

is no reverse effect, the flow is said to be one-way-

coupled Particle Particle
• If there is a mutual effect between the flows of both
phases, then the flow is two-way-coupled One-way coupling

• If in addition particle–particle collisions also affect Two-way coupling

the phase motion, then the flow is said to be four-
way coupled
− 2 kinds of particle-particle coupling
• Collisions
Fluid
• Wake interactions where fluid disturbed by one
particle affects the motion of neighboring particles Schematic diagram of coupling

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 Fundamental Definitions: Particle Response Time

• The response time of a particle or droplet is

the time required for a particle to be released
from rest to achieve 63%, 𝒆−𝟏Τ𝒆 ,of the free
stream velocity
• Given by the following :

 p d p2
p 
18 q Particle Response Time

Example: Water droplet in air

𝒌𝒈
𝒅𝒒 = 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝝁𝒎, 𝝆 = 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝟑 , 𝝁 = 𝟏. 𝟖𝒆 − 𝟓𝑷𝒂. 𝒔
𝒎
𝝉𝒑 = 𝟑. 𝟎𝟖𝒔

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 Fundamental Definitions: System Response Time

• The flow system response time, f, can be

estimated based on characteristic length and
velocity scales of the continuous phase
• In the diagram on the right, characteristic length = DT
and characteristic velocity = U

DT
f 
U Flow System Response Time

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 Stokes Number

particle response time p

St p  
flow system response time  f

• Stp <<1: The particles and fluid will be in near

equilibrium i.e. particles will follow fluid
streamlines
– Phases share the same velocity field

• Stp >>1: The Particles will be unaffected by the

fluid i.e. particle will continue along its
trajectory
– Phases have their own, separate velocity fields

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 Summary

• Numerous multiphase flow applications across a

broad range of industries
• Important characteristics of multiphase flow
include
− Phases
• Thermodynamic state (gas,liquid,solid)
• Particular response to and interaction with the flow (large
particles, small particles)
− Classification of multiphase flows
• Volume fraction, dilute vs. dense, interphase coupling, …
− Phase morphology
• Dispersed systems and separated systems
• Upcoming lectures will cover available models in
Fluent
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