Validation of a morphology-adaptive hybrid model for a vane-type gas-liquid separator


Validation of a morphology-adaptive hybrid model for a vane-type gas-liquid separator

Zhang, T.; Liao, Y.; Krull, B.; Lucas, D.; Yin, J.; Wang, D.

In light of the flow regime transition (bubbly flow to stratified) phenomenon occurring in the vane-type gas-liquid separator, a morphology-adaptive hybrid model featuring with multi fields is applied to predict the complex dynamic behaviors of interfacial structures in it. By means of this model, the coexistence of dispersed bubbles and continuous gas core is able to be described simultaneously with the same set of equations. One key issue related to the simulation of the multi-scale interfacial structure in the separator is the morphology transition criterion, more specifically, the formation of continuous gas out from dispersed gas. A preliminary transition criterion combining coalescence transfer and absorption transfer based on local volume fraction of the dispersed gas and the continuous gas has been implemented in the multi-field Eulerian two-fluid framework. Several simple swirling flow cases are adopted to test its performance and evaluate the effects of key model parameters. The capability of the new hybrid model representing both bubbly flow and continuous gas core as well as their transition is verified for a vane-type separator under two circumstances, namely, the stable gas core and the unstable gas core. For both cases, the numerical results present high similarities with the experimental results, which suggest that the hybrid model is capable of capturing the complex gas-core behavior in the vane-type gas liquid separator and serving as a reliable numerical predicting tool.

Keywords: gas core instability; multi-scale interface; multi-field simulation; swirling flow; openfoam

  • Poster (Online presentation)
    18th Multiphase Flow Conference & Short Course, 08.-12.11.2021, Dresden, Germany

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-33684
Publ.-Id: 33684