Author(s)

C. Peña-Monferrer, J. L. Muñoz-Cobo, G. Monrós-Andreu, S. Chiva

Abstract

A new method to compute the dispersed phase in a Lagrangian framework is shown in this contribution for computing incompressible bubbly flows. Each bubble is divided dynamically in equivolumetric elements and tracked into the Eulerian mesh for an appropriate assignment of the effect of the bubble in the cell. The coupling between phases is done considering in the momentum equation the interfacial forces along the bubble path during an Eulerian time step. The bouncing of the bubbles between themselves and the wall is modeled with a dynamic soft sphere model. The computational results obtained for different flow conditions are validated with the recently released experimental data on upward pipe flow. The test section used is a 52mm pipe of 5500mm of length maintained under adiabatic conditions with air and water circulating fluids. Time-averaged results of radial distribution for void fraction, chord length, number of bubbles detected, turbulence kinetic energy, dispersed and continuous velocity profiles show a good agreement.

Keywords

CFD, two-phase flow, bubbly flow, vertical pipe flow, Lagrangian, sphere partitioning, Soft-sphere collisions, OpenFOAM^®