CFX Multiphase 12.

0
Workshop 6

Rectangular Bubble
Column with Non-Drag
Forces and MUSIG
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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Introduction

Workshop Supplement

This simulation involves bubbly flow in a rectangular bubble

column
In the first workshop, you set up and ran a steady-state
Eulerian simulation with only buoyancy and drag forces
included on the bubbles.
The shape of the bubble plume did not match experiments,
probably because some potentially important forces were
neglected.
In the second workshop, you added non-drag forces to the
model
In this workshop, you will replace the constant diameter
dispersed phase with a homogeneous MUSIG fluid
This workshop demonstrates
Eulerian multiphase flow
Buoyant flow
Non-drag forces
MUSIG population balance
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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Background

Workshop Supplement

Rather than prescribing a dispersed phase size as in the

standard Eulerian treatment, the MUSIG model allows you
to predict a mean size via a population balance approach
which models the process of coalescence and break-up
For a MUSIG fluid, you divide the fluid into a number
of size groups or bins.
In the homogeneous treatment of the MUSIG model
(assumed here), all bubble sizes are assumed to move
with the same velocity (approximately valid for bubbles in
the elliptical regime)
Where the solver needs to compute the mean diameter
for the interfacial area it will use the Sauter mean
diameter, d32.
You will define a size group with six size groups ranging
from 0.5 to 10 mm and assume that the bubbles all enter
in the smallest size class. The solver will then compute
the mean stable bubble size.
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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Adding a Polydispersed Fluid

Workshop Supplement

Start CFX-Pre and open the results file for

your run for the second workshop (which
added the non-drag forces)
Double-click the Default Domain in the
outline
On the Basic Settings tab, highlight air
in the Fluid and Particle Definitions windows
and change the Morphology Option to
Polydispersed Fluid
Notice that a Polydispersed Fluids tab now
appears on the Domain Details form. You
can set the properties of the Polydispersed
Fluid on this form, which includes MUSIG
size group settings, MUSIG fluid type,
coalescence and breakup models, etc.

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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Poydispersed Fluids: MUSIG Settings

Workshop Supplement

Click on the Polydispersed Fluids tab

Click on the New icon and define a
new polydispersed fluid named
air poly
Click on the Option tab and note
that you have four different
options:
homogeneous and inhomogeneous
MUSIG (which divide the bubbles into
discrete size groups)
homogeneous and inhomogeneous
DQMOM which are based on the
quadrature method of moments

Choose the homogeneous MUSIG

option

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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Poydispersed Fluids: MUSIG Settings

Workshop Supplement

Still on the Polydispersed Fluids tab:

Under the Size Group Distribution, set the
Option to Equal Diameter, the Number of
Size Groups to 6, the Minimum Diameter to
0.5 [mm] or 0.0005 [m], the the Maximum
Diameter to 10 [mm] or 0.01 [m]
Step through the Size Groups List and note
that each group is assigned to the single
Polydispersed Fluid air
Accept the default choices for the Breakup
Model (Luo and Svendsen) and the
Coalescence Model (Prince and Blanch)

Click OK to complete the polydispersed

fluid settings and the modification of the
domain

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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Modifying the Inlet Boundary

Workshop Supplement

Some errors will appear in the message window,

since a polydispersed fluid has been defined but
the size group fractions have not been defined
where they are needed by the solver (e.g. at at
inlets,
and openings)
Double-click the inlet boundary in the Outline to
modify it
Click on the Fluid Values tab
Highlight air and in the Size Group List, step
through each Size Group and set the
Option to Value. For Group 1, set the
Size Fraction to 1. For Size Groups 2-6, set the
Size Fraction to 0. This assumes that the bubbles
at the inlet all enter in the smallest size group
Click OK to complete the changes to the
inlet boundary

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Set all other Size Fractions to 0

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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Modifying the Opening Boundary

Double-click the outlet boundary in the
Outline to modify it
Click on the Fluid Values tab
Highlight air and in the Size Group List,
step through each Size Group and set the
Option to Value. For Groups 1 5, set the
Size Fraction to 0. For Size Group 6, set
the Size Fraction to 1. This assumes that
any bubbles entrained at the outlet all
enter in the largest size group
Click OK to complete the changes to the
outlet opening boundary
The errors in the Message Window
should now have been cleared

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Workshop Supplement

Set all other Size Fractions to 0

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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Setting the Initial Guess

Workshop Supplement

Click on the Global Initialisation icon

You will restart this simulation from the
previous run with the non-drag forces included
That simulation used the same fluid (air),
but it did not have the MUSIG size groups defined
You can therefore keep the previous
settings for all variables except the Group Size
Fractions as the solver will use the values from the
restart file.
Click on the FLUID values tab and highlight air.
Change the Option for each Size Group Size
Fraction to Automatic with Value. Step through each
Size Group and set the Size Fraction for Group 1 to
1 and for Groups 2-6 to 0.0
Click OK to complete the Initial Guess specification

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Set all other Size Fractions to 0

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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Writing the Case and Solver File

Workshop Supplement

Save the CFX-Pre case file as

BubbleColumn_ndf_MUSIG.cfx
Click on the Write Solver Input
File icon
On the Write Solver File form,
enable the Quit CFX-Pre toggle,
enter the File name as
BubbleColumn_ndf_MUSIG.def
and click Save.

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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Running the Solver

Workshop Supplement

Start the CFX Solver Manager and

select File/Define Run
Select the definition file you just write
for the simulation with the non-drag
forces and MUSIG fluid included
Enable the Initial Values Specification
toggle and specify the File Name for the
Initial Values 1 file as results file
simulation you ran in Workshop 2 with
the non-drag forces included
Enable the toggle to continue the
monitor history from Initial Values 1
Click on Start Run to commence the
Run

(The simulation wil take about 45

minutes to complete 400 iterations)

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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Monitoring the Run

Workshop Supplement

Mass and Momentum Residuals

Imbalances

Start of run

Holdup

Start of run
Start of run
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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Post-Processing

Workshop Supplement

Select the +Z view. Create a XY-Plane for a Z-value of 0.01 m and color it
according to air.Mean Particle Diameter. The value is lowest near the inlet
but increases after that as the bubbles coalesce. A mean size is reached as
the processes of breakup and coalescence reach equilibrium. There is an
increase again in the headspace that one would expect due to coalescence.

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WS6: Bubble Column with Non-Drag Forces + MUSIG

Improving Convergence

Workshop Supplement

This example workshop was intended for demonstration purposes and as an

introduction to the steps required to include the MUSIG model in a multiphase
simulation. It was set up to run in a reasonably short period of time. The
convergence in this example is not particularly good and should be improved
if the results were to be taken as final.
The convergence for this problem could be improved substantially
by running the simulation as transient. To convert the steady-state simulation
to a transient one, you could open the definition file in CFX-Pre and change
the Simulation Type to Transient.
Timesteps of 0.005 s with an overall duration of 20 s would be
appropriate
The runtime for this transient simulation will be significant and will be
outside the scope of the time allotted for the practicals in this course
Convergence will be better for the transient case.

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