CHE 205: Fluid Mechanics

Fundamentals of Multiphase Flow

Dr. Md. Iqbal Hossain
Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering, BUET

Email: [email protected] Cell: 01927885215

www.iqbalbuet.com

1
 What is a Multiphase Flow?
• In the broadest sense, it is a flow in which two or
more phases of matter are dynamically interacting
– Distinguish multiphase and/or multicomponent
• Gas/Liquid
• Gas/Solid
• Liquid/Liquid
– Technically, two immiscible liquids are “multi-fluid”, but are
often referred to as a “multiphase” flow due to their similarity in
behavior
Single component Multi-component
Water Air
Single phase
Pure nitrogen H20+oil emulsions
Steam bubble in H20 Coal particles in air
Multi-phase
Ice slurry Sand particle in H20
2
 Dispersed/Interfacial:
• Flows are also generally categorized by distribution of the components

– “Separated” or “Interfacial”
• both fluids are more or less contiguous
throughout the domain Adjacent

– “Dispersed”
• One of the fluids is dispersed as non-
contiguous isolated regions within the
other (continuous) phase
• The former is the “dispersed” phase,
while the latter is the “carrier” phase
• One can now describe/classify the
geometry of the dispersion:
• Geometry, size and its distribution
• Volume fraction

3
Definition:
• Dilute versus dense phase:
– Refers to the volume fraction of secondary phase(s)
Volume of the phase in a cell/domain
• Volume fraction of a phase = Volume of the cell/domain

• Laminar versus turbulent:

– Each phase can be laminar or turbulent

– Fluid flow (primary/carrier phase) may be turbulent

with respect to the secondary/dispersed phase but may
be laminar with respect to the vessel

4
 Why Multiphase Flow Important?
• Multiphase flow is important in many industrial processes:
– Riser reactors
– Bubble column reactors
– Fluidized bed reactors
– Scrubbers, dryers, etc

Rushton CD-6 BT-6

5
 Multiphase Flow Regimes:
 Bubbly flow: discrete gaseous
bubbles in a continuous liquid
 Droplet flow: discrete fluid
droplets in a continuous gas
 Particle-laden flow: discrete solid
particles in a continuous fluid slug flow bubbly flow
 Slug flow: large bubbles in a droplet flow
particle-laden flow
continuous liquid
 Annular flow: continuous liquid
along walls, gas in core
 Stratified and free-surface flow:
immiscible fluids separated by a
clearly-defined interface annular flow free-surface flow

Rapid granular flow?? will see soon

6
Flow Regimes: Vertical Gas-Liquid
Flow

Q( m 3 / s )
Superficial Velocity : vsg (m / s) 
A(m 2 )
Q(m 3 / s )
Evaporator Q(VVM )  60
V (m 3 ) 7
 Granular Flow Regimes:
Elastic Regime Plastic Regime Viscous Regime
Stagnant Slow flow Rapid flow
Stress is strain Strain rate Strain rate
dependent independent dependent
Elasticity Soil mechanics Kinetic theory

A granular material is a multiphase material made up of a large collection of closely packed solid particles surrounded by a gas or
a liquid. Because the ratio of the volume of solid to fluid phases is very high, the particles are in very close contact with each other.

8
 Coupling Between Phases:
• Coupling
• One-way coupling: Sufficiently dilute such that fluid
feels no effect from presence of particles. Particles
move in dynamic response to fluid motion.

• Two-way coupling: Enough particles are present

such that momentum exchange between dispersed
and carrier phase alters dynamics of the carrier
phase.

• Four-way coupling: Flow is dense enough that

dispersed phase collisions are significant
momentum exchange mechanism
• Depends on particle size, relative velocity, volume
fraction

9
 Modeling Approaches:
• Empirical Correlations

Increased complexity
• Lagrangian
– Track individual point particles
– Particles do not interact
• Algebraic Slip Model
– Dispersed phase in a continuous phase
– Solve one momentum equation for the mixture
• Two-Fluids Theory (multi-fluids)
– Eulerian models
– Solve as many momentum equations as there are phases
• Discrete Element Method
– Solve the trajectories of individual objects and their collisions, inside
a continuous phase
• Fully Resolved and Coupled
- (Separated fluids/ Discontinuous -Single fluid) Solve conservation
laws in the coupled domains
10
 Modeling Approach: Fully Resolved
• Solve conservation laws in coupled domains:
1. Separated fluids
• Each contiguous domain uses appropriate transport coefficients
• Apply boundary jump conditions at interface
• Boundary is moving and may be deformable
2. Single fluid with discontinuous properties
• Boundary becomes a source term
Examples:
– Stokes flow of single liquid drop
• Simple analytical solution

– Small numbers of bubbles/drop

• Quiescent or weakly turbulent flow
11
 Modeling Multiphase Flows:
• What is the goal of the simulation?
• Which effects are important?
• Controlled by which hydrodynamic effects?
• Controlled by which other transport phenomena
effects? Model Specific
• All these factors influence which model to Lagrangian Dispersed Phase
choose for the analysis. Algebraic Slip
Eulerian
Eulerian Granular

?
Flow Specific Volume of Fluid
bubbly
droplet
particle-laden Process Specific
slug Separation
annular Filtration
stratified/free surface Suspension
rapid granular flow Evaporation
Reaction 12
Physical Effects in Dispersed Systems:
• Hydrodynamics:
– Change in shape
– Diameter
– Particle-wall collision
– Particle-particle collision
– Coalescence
– Breakup
– Turbulence
• Other transport phenomena:
– Heat transfer
– Mass transfer

13
 Model Overview:
• Eulerian-Lagrangian Dispersed Phase Model (DPM)
• All particle relaxation times
• Particle-wall interaction always taken into account, particle-particle usually
not

• Algebraic Slip Mixture Model (ASM)

• Particle relaxation times < 0.001 - 0.01 s.
• Neither particle-wall interaction nor particle-particle are taken into
account.

• Eulerian-Eulerian Model (EEM)

• All particle relaxation times
• Particle-wall interaction taken into account, particle-particle usually not

• Eulerian-granular Model (EGM)

• All particle relaxation times
• Both particle-wall and particle-particle interaction are taken into account

14
 (Slurry) Bubble Column Systems:
Gas

A bubble column is a liquid pool

sparged by a process stream. Liquid

2 < L/D < 20

UG,sup up to 50 cm/s

Liquid UG,sup >> UL,sup

Pool

Sparger
Liquid/Slurry Inlet

Gas Gas Inlet

15
Bubble Columns: Flow Regimes

Bubbly Flow Churn-Turbulent Flow (“Heterogeneous”)

16
Flow Regime Map (Deckwer, 1980)
 Fluidized-Bed Systems:
• When a fluid flows upward through a bed of solids, beyond a certain
fluid velocity the solids become suspended. The suspended solids:
– has many of the properties of a fluid,
– seeks its own level (“bed height”),
– assumes the shape of the containing vessel.

• Bed height typically varies between 0.3m and 15m

• Particle sizes vary between 1 mm and 6 cm. Very small particles can
agglomerate. Particle sizes between 10 mm and 150 mm typically result
in the best fluidization and the least formation of large bubbles.
Addition of finer size particles to a bed with coarse particles usually
improves fluidization.
• Superficial gas velocities (based on cross sectional area of empty bed)
typically range from 0.15 m/s to 6 m/s.
17
 Fluidized Bed Uses:
• Fluidized beds are generally used for gas-solid
contacting. Typical uses include:
– Chemical reactions:
• Catalytic reactions (e.g. hydrocarbon cracking).
• Noncatalytic reactions (both homogeneous and heterogeneous).
– Physical contacting:
• Heat transfer: to and from fluidized bed; between gases and
solids; temperature control; between points in bed.
• Solids mixing.
• Gas mixing.
• Drying (solids or gases).
• Size enlargement or reduction.
• Classification (removal of fines from gas or fines from solids).
• Adsorption-desorption.
• Heat treatment.
• Coating.
18
 Fluidization Regimes:

Umf Umb Uch

U U

Solids Return

Solids Return
Solids Return
Gas
Fixed Particulate Bubbling Slug Flow Turbulent Fast Pneumatic
Bed Regime Regime Regime Regime Fluidization Conveying

Increasing Gas Velocity

19