Numerical Simulation of the Two-phase Flow Inside Bubble Columns in the Fully Developed Flow

Abstract

This study refers to the simulation and analysis of fluid dynamics in a bubble column in fully developed flow through two numerical approaches, the variational method, and the finite volume method. For simplicity purposes, a zero-order turbulence model was used in the mathematical modelling. Through the proposed methodology, the main components of the circulation inside the column were calculated, e.g., the fluids axial and radial velocities profiles, and the hold-ups profiles. In this work, three cases of two-phase systems were studied, with different column design and operation parameters, which directly impact flow regime inside the column. Two of these cases were carried out with a continuous flow of gas and liquid phases, and one was executed with the liquid phase in semi-batch mode. After evaluations, a similarity between the calculated results was observed, as well as an agreement with literature data, proving the effectiveness of the methodology. Key words: variational method, finite volume method, fluid dynamics, modelling, ho