Open-source MFIX-DEM software for gas-solids flows: Part II — Validation studies

Journal Article · Sun Apr 01 04:00:00 EDT 2012 · Powder Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2011.09.020· OSTI ID:1060218

Li, Tingwen; Garg, Rahul; Galvin, Janine; Pannala, Sreekanth

With rapid advancements in computer hardware and numerical algorithms, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been increasingly employed as a useful tool for investigating the complex hydrodynamics inherent in multiphase flows. An important step during the development of a CFD model and prior to its application is conducting careful and comprehensive verification and validation studies. Accordingly, efforts to verify and validate the open-source MFIX-DEM software, which can be used for simulating the gas–solids flow using an Eulerian reference frame for the continuum fluid and a Lagrangian discrete framework (Discrete Element Method) for the particles, have been made at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). In part I of this paper, extensive verification studies were presented and in this part, detailed validation studies of MFIX-DEM are presented. A series of test cases covering a range of gas–solids flow applications were conducted. In particular the numerical results for the random packing of a binary particle mixture, the repose angle of a sandpile formed during a side charge process, velocity, granular temperature, and voidage profiles from a bounded granular shear flow, lateral voidage and velocity profiles from a monodisperse bubbling fluidized bed, lateral velocity profiles from a spouted bed, and the dynamics of segregation of a binary mixture in a bubbling bed were compared with available experimental data, and in some instances with empirical correlations. In addition, sensitivity studies were conducted for various parameters to quantify the error in the numerical simulation.

• Research Organization: National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
• DOE Contract Number: FE0004000
• OSTI ID: 1060218
• Report Number(s): TPR-3654
• Journal Information: Powder Technology, Journal Name: Powder Technology Journal Issue: C Vol. 220; ISSN 0032-5910
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
Computational fluid dynamics
Computational gas-solids flow
Discrete element method (DEM)
Eulerian-Eulerian (EE)
Lagrangian-Eulerian(LE)
Multiphase flows