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

• Published in: Powder technology Vol. 220; pp. 138 - 150
• Main Authors: Li, Tingwen, Garg, Rahul, Galvin, Janine, Pannala, Sreekanth
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-04-2012; Elsevier
• Subjects: ALGORITHMS; angle of repose; Applied sciences; BINARY MIXTURES; Chemical engineering; Computational fluid dynamics; Computational gas–solids flow; computer hardware; computer software; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; COMPUTERS; Discrete element method (DEM); Eulerian–Eulerian (EE); Exact sciences and technology; FLUID MECHANICS; Fluidization; FLUIDIZED BEDS; GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE; Heat and mass transfer. Packings, plates; HYDRODYNAMICS; Hydrodynamics of contact apparatus; LAGRANGIAN FUNCTION; Lagrangian–Eulerian (LE); mathematical models; Miscellaneous; MULTIPHASE FLOW; Multiphase flows; SEGREGATION; SENSITIVITY; SHEAR; SIMULATION; Solid-solid systems; SOLIDS FLOW; temperature; VALIDATION; VELOCITY; VERIFICATION; Eulerian–Eulerian (EE); Lagrangian–Eulerian (LE); Computational gas–solids flow; Discrete element method (DEM); Multiphase flows; Computational fluid dynamics; Euler equation; Correlation; Segregation; Lagrangian-Eulerian (LE); Shear flow; Computational gas-solids flow; Velocity distribution; Discrete element method; Random packing; Modeling; Computer hardware; Sensitivity analysis; Two phase flow; Multiphase flow; Eulerian-Eulerian (EE); Hydrodynamics; Fluidization; Spouted bed; Algorithm; Bubbling; Gas solid flow; Binary mixture; Correlation analysis; Numerical simulation; Software; Fluidized bed
• ISSN: 0032-5910; 1873-328X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.powtec.2011.09.020

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.