A Modified Bubble Breakage and Coalescence Model Accounting the Effect of Bubble-Induced Turbulence for CFD-PBM Modelling of Bubble Column Bubbly Flows

Weibin Shi, Xiaogang Yang, Martin Sommerfeld, Jie Yang, Xinyue Cai, Guang Li

Research output: Journal PublicationArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The behaviours of bubble-induced turbulence (BIT) have been demonstrated to be different from the homogeneous isotropic single-phase turbulence on the turbulence energy spectrum. The description of bubble/eddy-bubble collision to cause bubble coalescence and breakage are usually based on the classical Kolmogorov − 5/3 scaling law for the inertial subrange of the turbulence energy spectrum function. This approximation may no longer be appropriate for modelling the gas–liquid flow in the bubble columns as a large amount of turbulence eddies is generated by the BIT. Therefore, the present work focuses on the influence of κ−3 scaling of the BIT energy spectrum on the bubble coalescence due to bubble–bubble collision under turbulence and the breakage due to the eddy-bubble collision in bubble columns. A modified bubble coalescence and breakage model accounting for the BIT is proposed. The proposed coalescence and breakage model considers the mean turbulent velocity of eddies under the influence of bubble-induced turbulence and the characteristic wavenumber/length scale that corresponds to the BIT. A comparison of the simulation results with the experimental data clearly demonstrates that the modified bubble coalescence and breakage model appropriately describes the bubble coalescence and breakage events occurring under the influence of BIT in bubble columns.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1197-1229
Number of pages33
JournalFlow, Turbulence and Combustion
Volume105
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2020

Keywords

  • Bubble coalescence and breakage
  • Bubble column reactor
  • Bubble-induced turbulence
  • CFD-PBM modelling
  • Turbulence energy spectrum

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemical Engineering
  • General Physics and Astronomy
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

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