Numerical simulation of gas-liquid dynamics in cylindrical bubble column reactors

In this paper, we have attempted to validate a transient, two-dimensional axisymmetric simulation of a laboratory-scale cylindrical bubble column, run under bubbly flow and churn turbulent conditions. The experimental data was obtained via gamma-radiation based non-invasive flow monitoring methods, viz., computer automated radioactive particle tracking (CARPT) provided the data on liquid velocity and turbulence, and computed tomography (CT) determined the gas holdup profiles. The numerical simulation was done using the FLUENT software and compares the results from the algebraic slip mixture model, and the two-fluid Euler-Euler model. Reasonably, good quantitative agreement was obtained between the experimental data and simulations for the time-averaged gas holdup and axial liquid velocity profiles, as well as for the kinetic energy profiles. The favorable results suggest that the simple two-dimensional axisymmetric simulation can be used for reasonable engineering calculations of the overall flow pattern and gas holdup distributions. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.