On the prediction of gas hold-up in two-phase flow systems using an Euler–Euler model

We quantify the ability of the two-fluid Euler–Euler model to predict the overall gas hold-up during two-phase flow in vertical columns using a combination of experiments and simulations. Gas hold-up in a bubble column and gas hold-up in the less-frequently studied co-current flow are investigated. For homogeneous flow characterized by nearly uniform bubble size, Euler–Euler model predictions are within 10% of the experimental values for both modes of operation, if the bubble diameter supplied as input to the model is the average bubble diameter in the physical system. This also holds true for heterogeneous flow in bubble columns despite the presence of a broad distribution of bubble sizes, if turbulence and bubble swarm effects on momentum exchange between phases are properly accounted for. Swarm corrections adequate for bubble columns, are less successful for co-current heterogeneous flow, for which gas hold-up predictions are least accurate (average error of 22%).     

THE EFFECT OF DISTRIBUTORS ON TWO-PHASE AND THREE-PHASE FLOWS IN VERTICAL COLUMNS

Two-phase air-water and three-phase air-water-solids flows have been investigated in a 0.152 m internal diameter vertical column. Pressure drop across the distributor and average phase hold-up were measured for two-phase and three-phase flows over flow ranges of superficial gas velocity from 0 to 259 m/s and superficial liquid velocity from 0 to 0.0346 m/s. Gas hold-up/pressure-drop ratios were obtained as a function of superficial gas velocity and liquid flow rate. It was found that the bubble cap was better at gas distribution than that of the Koch static mixer in two-phase and three-phase vertical flows. Drift flux to gas hold-up and drift flux to gas flow rate correlations were obtained for two-phase and three-phase vertical flows. Three flow patterns, churn-turbulent, transition and ideal bubble flows, were observed for vertical upflow.     

Numerical simulation of the gas–liquid flow in a laboratory scale bubble column: Influence of bubble size distribution and non-drag forces

In the present work, a computational model based on an Eulerian–Eulerian approach was used for the simulation of the transient two-phase flow in a rectangular partially aerated bubble column. Superficial gas velocities (U_G) ranging from 0.24 to 2.30 cm/s were used throughout both the experiments and the simulations. The calculated results were verified by comparing them with experimental data including measurements of gas hold-up, plume oscillation period (POP) and Sauter mean bubble diameter. The study shows the effect of mesh refinement, time-step and physical model selection, the latter regarding the role of bubble size distribution and non-drag forces, on the computational results. According to the results presented here, the representation of bubble populations using multiple size groups (MUSIG model) instead of a single group improves the prediction of the experimental parameters under study. Additionally, the results obtained after including the virtual mass force term do not differ considerably from those obtained including only the drag force. On the contrary, as a consequence of introducing the lift force term into the model, the gas hold-up is overestimated and a non-symmetric bubble plume oscillation appears, a fact that is not experimentally observed.     

The investigation of gas holdup distribution in a two-phase bubble column using ultrasonic computed tomography

In this study, time-averaged gas holdup distributions were investigated in a 16 cm diameter bubble column for two-phase dispersed system of air–water and air–glycerol solution of 10 wt% by using ultrasonic computed tomography (UCT). A quantitative result of UCT – as a coupling of the ultrasonic transmission method and the iterative filtered backprojection (IFBP) image reconstruction technique – is presented. The UCT results are in a good agreement with those by the bed expansion method. A higher gas holdup in the air–glycerol 10 wt% solution than in the air–water system was observed. The distribution of gas holdup in the column with an attached baffle is also investigated by UCT.     

含垂直列管束内构件鼓泡塔的CFD模拟

针对含有密集垂直列管束内构件的气液鼓泡塔,在两相Euler二维轴对称k-ε模型中,分别考虑气相和液相受到的列管阻力。通过引入相应的动量源、湍动源以及耗散源建立带列管内构件的鼓泡塔二维CFD模型。模型能清晰、准确地描述带列管束鼓泡塔中气液流动的特征:"烟囱效应"以及分布器影响区延长。计算得到的气含率以及液速的二维分布在宽泛的表观气速(0.12～0.62 m·s^-1)范围内与实验值相符。     

The Effect of Sparger Geometry on Gas Bubble Flow Behaviors Using Electrical Resistance Tomography

By electrical resistance tomography （ERT） the cross sectional profiles of gas hold-up in a φ56mm bubble column are obtained with four designs of gas sparger. The effect of sparger geometry on the bubble distribution is revealed by applying a sensitivity conjugated gradients reconstruction method （SCG）. Experimental results show that overall hold-up obtained by ERT is generally in good agreement with those measured with the pressure transducer and the ERT system produces informative evidence that the radial profiles of hold-up is very similar to the sparger design in the lower section of bubble column. Meanwhile, the rise velocity of bubble swarm and the Sauter mean bubble size are evaluated using ERT based on dynamic gas disengagement theory. The experimental results are in good agreement with correlations and conventional estimation obtained using pressure transmitter methods.     

曳力模型对模拟鼓泡塔气含率的影响

引言 鼓泡塔由于其良好的传热、传质特性而被广泛用于化工、生物制药、冶金等领域.近年来,计算流体力学(CFD)越来越多地被应用于研究鼓泡塔内部复杂的流体力学状态.然而,如何合理地描述气液相间作用及湍流模型是CFD模拟能够准确复现鼓泡塔内复杂流动状态的关键和难点.     

Influence of coalescence behaviour of the liquid and of gas sparging on hydrodynamics and bubble characteristics in a bubble column

This experimental study is aimed at investigating the effect of liquid phase properties and gas distribution on bubble and hydrodynamic characteristics in bubble columns. With the various measuring techniques used, systematic measurements of bubble size, velocity and frequency and gas hold-up are possible. Bubble size distribution and shape factors which are rarely found in literature, are also available. Water–alcohol solutions are used to simulate the behaviour of industrial non-coalescing organic mixtures. The experimental results obtained with three different spargers in the coalescence inhibiting solutions are compared with data on standard coalescing air–water system. Evolutions of bubble characteristics and gas hold-up have been interpreted successfully by considering the simultaneous influence of the hydrodynamic regime of the gas–liquid flow and of the operating regime of the distributor. It has also been put into evidence that bubble frequency measurements are good tools to evaluate distributor efficiency. The influence of the distributor has been shown to be enhanced in non-coalescing media. Bubble shape and bubble size distributions are dramatically modified by addition of minute quantities of alcohol in water. Bimodal distributions can be observed even in the homogeneous regime with orifice nozzle spargers.     

Gas hold-up in non-newtonian solutions in a bubble column with internals

Bubble characteristics and gas hold-up were studied in a two phase (air-aqueous CMC solution) bubble column provided with helical coils and straight tubes as internals. The effects of superficial gas velocity, rheological properties, and volume fraction covered by the internals, on gas hold-up were studied. Hold-up values determined directly and by simultaneous pressure drop measurements matched well. Enhancement of gas hold-up values up to 55 per cent was achieved in systems using internals. The gas hold-up results were also compared with the values obtained from correlations reported in the literature.     

CFD simulation of effects of the configuration of gas distributors on gas-liquid flow and mixing in a bubble column

Numerical simulations of gas-liquid flow in a cylindrical bubble column of 400 mm in diameter at the superficial gas velocity were conducted to investigate effects of the configuration of gas distributors on hydrodynamic behaviour, gas hold-up and mixing characteristics. Eight different gas distributors were adopted in the simulation. The simulation results clearly show that the configuration of gas distributor have an important impact on liquid velocity and local gas hold-up in the vicinity of the gas distributor. Comparisons of the overall gas holdup and mixing time among different gas distributors have demonstrated that none of the adopted gas distributors was able to produce the highest interfacial area and also yield the shortest mixing time. The CFD modelling results reveal that an increase in the number of gas sparging pipes used in gas distributors is beneficial in improving the gas hold-up but is disadvantageous in reducing bubble size due to a decrease in turbulent kinetic dissipation. It has been demonstrated from the simulations that the appearance of asymmetrical flow patterns in the bubble column and the adoption of smaller gas sparging pipes for gas distributors are effective in improving the mixing characteristics.     

SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENTS OF GAS AND LIQUID PHASE VELOCITIES AND GAS HOLD-UP USING LASER-DOPPLER VELOCIMETER

Simultaneous measurements of gas and liquid-phase velocities along with the gas hold-up can provide a wealth of information regarding the flow structure in bubble columns. In the present work, a method is proposed for simultaneous measurements of phase velocities together with The hold-up, using a laser Doppler velocimeter. The measurements were performed in a rectangular bubble column up to a hold-up value of 26%. Turbulence parameters, in particular, rms velocities of both the phases and length scales, were also determined.     

基于改进的RBF网络和自适应小波图像增强的ECT两相流测量系统(英文)

Electrical capacitance tomography(ECT) is a non-invasive imaging technique that aims at visualizing the cross-sectional permittivity distribution and phase distribution of solid/gas two-phase flow based on the measured capacitance.To solve the nonlinear and ill-posed inverse problem:image reconstruction of ECT system,this paper proposed a new image reconstruction method based on improved radial basis function(RBF) neural network combined with adaptive wavelet image enhancement.Firstly,an improved RBF network was applied to establish the mapping model between the reconstruction image pixels and the capacitance values measured.Then,for better image quality,adaptive wavelet image enhancement technique was emphatically analyzed and studied,which belongs to a space-frequency analysis method and is suitable for image feature-enhanced.Through multi-level wavelet decomposition,edge points of the image produced from RBF network can be determined based on the neighborhood property of each sub-band;noise distribution in the space-frequency domain can be estimated based on statistical characteristics;after that a self-adaptive edge enhancement gain can be constructed.Finally,the image is reconstructed with adjusting wavelet coefficients.In this paper,a 12-electrode ECT system and a pneumatic conveying platform were built up to verify this image reconstruction algorithm.Experimental results demonstrated that adaptive wavelet image enhancement technique effectively implemented edge detection and image enhancement,and the improved RBF network and adaptive wavelet image enhancement hybrid algorithm greatly improved the quality of reconstructed image of solid/gas two-phase flow [pulverized coal(PC)/air].     

Numerical simulation of multiphase flow in bubble column reactors. Influence of bubble coalescence and break-up

Population balance equations have been combined to a classical hydrodynamic Euler/Euler simulation to investigate the operation of a cylindrical bubble column. The MUSIG (mutiple-size-group) model implemented in the CFX 4.3 commercial software has been used. Hydrodynamic experimental variables, i.e. local axial liquid velocity and local gas hold-up, have been compared to the corresponding calculated values, showing a quite good agreement, except for the gas hold-up when the column is no more operating in the homogeneous regime. Bubble sizes have been investigated, showing that two domains of superficial gas velocities can be distinguished. In the first domain, coalescence occurs predominantly, Sauter diameter increases with the superficial gas velocity, bubble size distribution is narrow and Sauter diameter is continuously evolving along the column axis. In the second domain, break-up becomes more intensive and compensates coalescence, bubble size distribution becomes wider, since more small bubbles are formed, an equilibrium Sauter diameter appears when the superficial gas velocity increases. Furthermore an equilibrium Sauter diameter appears along the column axis, and it can be noticed that this phenomenon appears lower in the column when the gas flow rate is increased. In these two domains the characteristics of the bubbles are typical of those of the homogeneous and transition regimes.     

A physical model for the prediction of liquid hold-up in two-phase countercurrent columns

This contribution presents the determination of liquid hold-up in gas/liquid two-phase countercurrent columns filled with random or structured packings. The equations resulting from the established physical relationships are varified against the values for liquid hold-up determined experimentally on 56 different column packings and 16 gas/liquid systems. The experimental and calculated results agree well, with only slight deviations. This also applies to the range between the loading and flooding points for two-phase countercurrent flow.     

Liquid distribution and liquid hold-up in modern high capacity packings

In order to model and optimise industrial gas/liquid contactors such as those used for distillation or for post-combustion capture of CO₂, liquid hold-up and liquid distribution have been measured for two modern high capacity packings, a structured packing and a random packing. A gamma-ray tomographic system has been used to obtain liquid flow maps over a cross section of a 400 mm internal diameter column from which liquid hold-up values can be deduced. It is observed that the liquid flow is homogeneously distributed for both packings, the structured packing giving better results. Correlations are proposed to estimate the liquid hold-up, the effect of the liquid flowrate and the liquid viscosity being taken into account. A non-negligible static liquid hold-up is considered for the structured packing, which can be explained by the texture on the packing walls. As long as there is a little effect of the counter current gas, then below the loading point, results can be extrapolated to larger columns.     

On the development of flow pattern in a bubble column reactor: Experiments and CFD

A comprehensive analysis of the development of flow pattern in a bubble column reactor is presented here through extensive LDA measurements and CFD predictions. In the LDA measurements, the simultaneous measurements of 2D velocity-time data were carried out at several radial locations and many axial cross-sections of the column for two different spargers. The profiles of mean axial liquid velocity, fractional gas hold-up and bubble slip velocity showed excellent agreement between the predictions and the experimentally measured values. The experimental results showed that the mean tangential velocity varies systematically in the radial as well as along the axial co-ordinates. The turbulence parameters viz. turbulent kinetic energy, energy dissipation rate and eddy diffusivity were also analysed. The estimated values of local energy dissipation rate obtained using eddy isolation model were used for establishing the energy balance in the column. The experimental data were used for the estimation of normal and shear stress profiles. For the case of single point sparger, just above the sparger region, the bubble plume was seen to have a strong tangential component of motion thereby yielding higher gas hold-up slightly away from the centre. This visual observation was well captured in profiles of all the hydrodynamic parameters obtained from the experimental data. CFD simulations of the mean velocities, gas hold-up and turbulent kinetic energy compared well with the experimental results.     

鼓泡塔内气液两相湍流实验研究

介绍了研究鼓泡塔气液两相流的实验装置、实验方法。液相用激光多普勒测速技术(LDV)测量,气相用粒子示踪测速技术(PIV)测量。实验表明,轴向液相速度的径向分布呈塔中心峰值、壁面附近倒流形式,且与气相表观速度大小有关,当液相表观速度一定时,随气相表观速度增大而愈加陡峭,返混也剧烈。当表观液速与表观气速之比小于19．6时,返混区总是存在,且返混区大小与高度有关：当表观液遣与表观气速之比大于19．6时,返混消失,含气率分布由塔中心峰值转向壁面峰值。径向液相速度既与气相表现速度有关又与位置高度有关,在塔底部呈现负值,这意味着向塔轴心方向流动。随着塔高增加。流动方向逐渐转变为向塔壁方向,且又有明显的峰值。     

Hydrodynamics and mass transfer in an upward venturi/bubble column combination

The hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics of a venturi/bubble column combination were studied at high liquid superficial velocities of up to 0.35 m/s. The gas hold-up was increased by 50% to 150% and the overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient was tripled when the venturi was used as “gas distributor” instead of a porous distributor. A correlation of the overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient (K_La) with the gas hold-up, valid for gas hold-ups as high as 0.3, was proposed for the cylindrical bubble column section. The energy consumption per mole of oxygen transferred was lower than with most distributors and the oxygen transfer rate per unit of reactor volume was higher than in a bubble column with a porous distributor. The venturi/bubble column combination is a compact and efficient system which does not have the operating problems of systems which require internals.     

Interaction between bubbles and fibre optic probes in a bubble column

Spherical bulb fibre optic probes, developed and applied for bubble characterization in a bubble column and a slurry bubble column at high temperature, were investigated. The principle of operation of these new optical fibre probes is based on the difference in refractive indices between the gas and the liquid phases. The interaction between the gas bubbles and the fibre optic probes in a bubble column was studied using photographic techniques. The first objective of these experiments was to study the response of the sensors upon contact with gas bubbles of various sizes. The second objective of this study was to establish, under controlled situations, the optical probe bubble detection performance and ability for local quantitative measurements of the bubble rise velocity and the gas hold-up.     

PROFILE OF LIQUID FLOW IN BUBBLE COLUMNS

Equations for the liquid velocity profile and the average gas hold-up in bubble columns including cocurrent flow are proposed. It is shown that the inversion point of liquid flow can be used as the characteristic parameter for calculating the liquid flow profiles and gas hold-up. A tracer method was developed to measure the inversion point of liquid flow in bubble column reactors. For water as the liquid phase this inversion point was found at a distance from the column axis of 0·70 0·73 times the column radius. Besides, bubble velocities and bubble diameters in water and methanol-water solutions were determined, using a 5-point conductivity microprobe. It was found that in dilute solutions of methanol the bubble velocity is lower than in pure water. With increasing superficial gas velocity, the bubble velocity steadily increases in pure water, whereas in methanol-water solution it first decreases and, after reaching a minimum, increases too.