Bubble column reactors boundary conditions

For multiphase flows, it is possible to encounter a boundary of the solution domain through which one of the phases exits the domain but not the other (for example, the top surface of the bubble column reactor). Special boundary conditions need to be developed to represent such cases. These are discussed in Chapter 5. 

The other situation which may require special treatment is a boundary of multiphase dispersion through which dispersed phase particles are allowed to escape, but not the continuous phase (for example, the top surface of gas-liquid dispersion in a bubble column reactor). The standard outlet boundary conditions need to be suitably modified to represent the observed flow processes. It is possible to simulate the actual behavior by specifying appropriate sink near the top surface (see Ranade, 1998 and Chapter 11). 

The fluid dynamics of bubble column reactors is very complex and several different CFD models may have to be used to address critical reactor engineering issues. The application of various approaches to modeling dispersed multiphase flows, namely, Eulerian-Eulerian, Eulerian-Lagrangian and VOF approaches to simulate flow in a loop reactor, is discussed in Chapter 9 (Section 9.4). In this chapter, some examples of the application of these three approaches to simulating gas-liquid flow bubble columns are discussed. Before that, basic equations and boundary conditions used to simulate flow in bubble columns are briefly discussed. 

FIGURE 11.7 Top boundary condition for bubble column reactor. 

This partial differential equation is deterministic by nature. In practice, however, many hydrodynamic phenomena (e.g., transition from laminar to turbulent flow) have chaotic features (deterministic chaos [Stewart 1993]). The reason for this is that the Navier-Stokes equation assumes a homogeneous ideal fluid, whereas a real fluid consists of atoms and molecules. Today highly developed numerical flow simulators (computational fluid dynamics, CFD) are available for solving the Navier-Stokes equation under certain boundary conditions (e.g.. Fluent Deutschland GmbH). These even allow complex flow conditions, including particle, droplet, bubble, plug, and free surface flow, as well as multiphase flow such as that foundin fluidized-bed reactors and bubble columns, to be treated numerically [Fluent 1998]. 

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