CFX Multiphase 12.0 WS01 BubbleColumn

CFX Multiphase 12.
0
Workshop 1
Rectangular Bubble
Column
ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary
2009 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.
WS1-1
September 1, 2009
Inventory #
WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column
Introduction
Workshop Supplement
This workshop models the dispersion of air bubbles in

water in a rectangular bubble column.
Gas is supplied through a sparger at the bottom of the
bubble column and the rising action of bubbles
provides agitation of the liquid.
Although the boundary conditions are steady and the
geometry is simple, there is a transient character to the
solution
In this workshop, you will set up and run a basic bubbly
flow simulation.
In the second workshop, you will add non-drag forces
to the model.

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Inventory #
Rectangular Bubble Column Geometry
Workshop Supplement
Vessel Details
Height of column
Width of column
Depth of column
1.00 m
0.10 m
0.02 m
Height of sparger
Length of sparger
Width of sparger
0.01 m
0.01 m
0.02 m
Air inlet at the bottom via

a sparger (porous
aquarium stone)
Air superficial velocity:
0.002 ... 0.03 m/s
.

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Inventory #
Expected Behavior
Workshop Supplement
Measurements:
High speed video camera:
Gas velocity
Bubble size
Wire mesh sensor

Gas volume fraction
Bubble sizes
Bubbles dispersed
across the column
Narrow plume of
bubbles near the
inlet
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September 1, 2009
Inventory #
Computational Mesh
Workshop Supplement
outlet =
opening
Hexahedral mesh
(ICEM-CFD Hexa)
Mesh element size:
x=y=z=0.005m
200204 cells on
coarsest mesh
16,000 elements
21,105 nodes
inlet
(sparger)
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Inventory #
Importing the Mesh
Workshop Supplement
Copy the file ICEM CFD mesh file rectangularcolumn.msh from the input files folder
into a working directory. Start CFX-Pre from the ANSYS CFX 12.0 Launcher after
changing to this working directory and open a new case (File/New Case/General)
Right-click on Mesh in the Outline and select Import Mesh/ICEM CFD and import
rectangularcolumn.msh into the simulation, setting the Mesh Units to m.

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Inventory #
Imported Mesh
Workshop Supplement
Hightlight the imported mesh in

the Outline view. Right-click on it
and select Mesh Statistics
Note the dimensions of the
imported mesh in the pop-up
window, Note that the height of
the vertical column ranges from a
y-value of 0.0 [m] at the bottom
and 1.0 [m] at the top

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September 1, 2009
Inventory #
Defining the Domain Fluids (Continuous Phase)
Workshop Supplement
Double-click the Default Domain created for

your imported mesh to edit it (if a default
domain was not created, create one).
On the Basic Settings tab of the Details form
for the domain:
Set the Domain Type to Fluid Domain
Highlight Fluid 1 in the Fluid and Particle
Definition window and click on the Delete icon
to remove it
Click on the New icon in the Fluid and Particle
definition window and insert a new fluid
named water
Select the predefined constant property
material Water and set the Morphology Option
to Continuous Fluid

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September 1, 2009
Inventory #
Defining the Domain Fluids (Dispersed Phase)
Workshop Supplement
Still on the Basic Settings tab of the Details

form for the domain:
Click on the New icon next to the Fluid and
Particle Definition window and insert a new
fluid definition named air
For the new fluid air, select the predefined
constant property material Air at 25 C and set
the Morphology Option to Dispersed Fluid with
a size of 0.003 [m]

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Inventory #
Viewing the Fluid Densities
Workshop Supplement
Expand the Materials entry in the outline and

double-click on the Material definitions for the
Air at 25 C and Water materials used to
define the fluid properties for this simulation
and note the values of the constant densities
set for these fluids (1.185 kg/m3 for Air at 25
C and 997 kg/m3 for Water)
These values will be important in defining the
reference density for the buoyancy settings
for the domain as well as the hydrostatic
head for the initial guess for the pressure

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Inventory #
Setting the Buoyancy Properties
Workshop Supplement
Buoyancy effects are very important for gasliquid settings and therefore buoyancy
properties must be defined for the domain
On the Basic Settings form for the Domain
under the Domain Models section, set the
Buoyancy Option to Buoyant and enter the
X,Y, and Z components of the gravity vector as
[0, -9.81, 0] m/s2.
Set the buoyancy reference density to the
density of water [997.0 kg/m 3] which is the
continuous phase for this problem
Set the Reference Location option for Buoyancy
to Cartesian coordinates and enter values
consistent with the top surface of the domain [0
1 0 ] m,

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September 1, 2009
Inventory #
Fluid Domain: Fluid Models
Workshop Supplement
Left-Click the Fluid Models tab for the

Domain.
Leave the Homogeneous Model toggle
unchecked
Set the Free Surface Model to None since
this is a dispersed/continuous
type of flow
Set Heat Transfer option to Isothermal
with a Fluid temperature of 25 [C].
Set the Turbulence option to Fluid
Dependent

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Inventory #
Fluid Domain: Fluid Specific Models
Workshop Supplement
Click on the Fluid Specific Models tab on

the Domain form and select air
Set the Turbulence Model to Dispersed
Phase Zero Equation
Leave Fluid Buoyancy Model as
Density Difference.
Click on water and set:

Turbulence Model to Shear
Stress Transport
Buoyancy Turbulence Option
to None
Leave Fluid Buoyancy Model as
Density Difference.

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Inventory #
Fluid Domain: Fluid Pairs
Workshop Supplement
Click on the Fluid Pair Models tab and:

Click on the Surface Tension Coefficient
toggle and enter a value of 0.072 N/m
(the surface tension force will not be
modeled in this tutorial but the surface
tension coefficient will be used in the
Grace correlation for the drag acting
on deformable bubbles)
Set the Interphase Transfer Option to
Particle Model
Under Momentum Transfer, set the
Drag Force Option to Grace
Enable the Volume Fraction Correction
Exponent and enter a value of 3. This value
will help keep the drag law well behaved in
the gas headspace region above the liquid
Leave Non-drag forces unset and set the Turbulence
Transfer Option to Sato
Enhanced Eddy Vicosity
Click OK to complete the domain definition

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September 1, 2009
Inventory #
Flow Boundary Condition Strategy

The bubble column modeled in this
simulation is semi-batch where air flows
continuously through a batch layer of
liquid
The sparger inlet at the bottom of the
vessel has only air flowing through it
(air volume fraction =1)
The outlet at the top of the geometry
will be a pressure specified opening
through which either air or water could
flow. To preserve the initial liquid
loading set in the initial guess, an air
headspace above the liquid will be
specified in the initial guess for the
volume fraction field. As long as
convergence is reasonable, only air will
leave this boundary and the initial
amount of liquid will be preserved even
for a steady simulation
WS1-15
Workshop Supplement
Outlet
Air
Head
Space
Batch
Liquid
Air Inlet
September 1, 2009
Inventory #
Inlet Boundary Condition: inlet
Workshop Supplement
Insert an Inlet boundary named inlet

and assign it to the location INLET
On the Boundary details tab:
Set the Mass and Momentum Option
to Bulk Mass Flow Rate
Click on the expression toggle next to the
Mass Flow Rate entry box
The mass flow rate of gas will be calculated
based on its superficial velocity, the column
cross-sectional area, and the gas density
The superficial velocity, JSG, is defined as
the volumetric gas flow rate divided by the
cross-sectional area of the column:
JSG=0.01 m/s
CSA = 0.01 m x 0.2 m = 0.002 m2
Air Density = 1.185 kg/m3
Mass Flow Rate = 0.01 [m/s]*0.002 [m^2]*1.185 [kg/m^3]
Enter this expression for the Bulk Mass Flow Rate

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Inlet Boundary Condition: inlet: Fluid Values
Workshop Supplement
On the Fluid Values tab:

Highlight air and set the
Volume Fraction to 1.0
Highlight water and set the
Click OK to create the boundary

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Opening Boundary Condition: outlet
Workshop Supplement
Insert a boundary named outlet

Set the type to Opening and the
location to OUTLET
On the Boundary Details form:
Set the Mass and Momentum Option
to Opening Pres. and Dirn.
Enter a Relative Pressure of 0.0 Pa
On the Fluid Values form:

Highlight air and set the
Highlight water and set the
Click OK to create the boundary

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Inventory #
Default Wall Boundary Condition:
Workshop Supplement
Double click the default boundary

created for the domain (Default
Domain Default for a domain named
Default Domain) to bring up the
Edit Boundary form
On the Boundary details tab, set
the Mass and Momentum option
to Fluid Dependent
On the Fluid Values tab:
Highlight air and set
Wall Influence on Flow to
Free Slip
Highlight water and set
Wall Influence on Flow to
No Slip
Click OK to update the

boundary definition

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Boundary Condition Summary
Workshop Supplement
Top Opening
Side and Bottom Walls
Sparger Inlet
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Inventory #
Initial Condition
Workshop Supplement
The initial condition for this simulation will set up a

gas headspace in the upper 10% of the domain
(i.e. for y > 0.9 m)
This will be implemented by using a step function
for gas volume fraction that is zero for y < 0.9 m
and 1 for y > 0.90 m.
Headspace
step((y - 0.90 [m])/1.0 [m])

We must also enter the correct hydrostatic pressure for this
initial condition relative to the buoyancy reference density of
997 kg/m^3 and the buoyancy reference position (y = 1.0 m):
P = (1.185 997)[kg/m^3]*g*(1.0[m] - y)* step((y - 0.9 [m])/1.0 [m])
* Note: g is a CFX system variable which is predefined as 9.81 [m/s^2]

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September 1, 2009
Inventory #
Global Initialisation
Workshop Supplement
Click the Global Initialisation icon from the menu bar

On the Global Settings tab, set the Static Pressure Option to Automatic with
Value
Enter the following expression for Relative Pressure which was given on the
previous slide (be sure to click on the Equation toggle next to the Relative
Pressure entry box):
(1.185-997) [kg/m^3] *g* (1.0 [m] - y)* step((y-0.9 [m])/1.0 [m])

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Inventory #
Global Initialisation: Fluid Settings
Workshop Supplement
On the Fluid Settings tab, highlight

air and set:
U, V, and W Cartesian Velocity Components to
Automatic with Value with all at 0.0 [m/s]
the Volume Fraction Option to Automatic with
Value with the expression set to:
step((y - 0.90 [m])/1.0 [m])
Highlight water and set:

U, V, and W Cartesian Velocity Components to
Automatic with Value with all at 0.0 [m/s]
Turbulence Option to Medium Intensity and Eddy
Viscosity Ratio
the Volume Fraction Option to
Automatic with Value with the
expression set to:
1 - step((y - 0.90 [m])/1.0 [m])
Click OK to complete the Initialisation

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Solver Parameters
Workshop Supplement
Click on the Solver Control icon from

the menu bar
On the Basic Settings tab:
Set the Advection Scheme Option
to High Resolution
Set the Timescale Control to
Physical Timescale and enter
a Physical Timescale of 0.01 s
Set the Max. Iterations to 100
Enter 1e-4 for the Residual Target
Leave the other settings at their
default values and click Ok to
apply the form

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September 1, 2009
Inventory #
Output Control: Monitor Point
Workshop Supplement
Click on the Output Control icon from the

menu bar
Click on the Monitor tab and:
Enable the Monitor Options toggle
Under Monitor Points and Expressions,
click on the New icon
Enter holdup as the name of the
new monitor point
Set the Option for Holdup to Expression
and enter the Expression Value as::
volumeAve(air.vf)@Default Domain
This gives the average volume fraction

of air in the domain, commonly known
as the gas hold-up. (If your domain
name is not Default Domain, use that
name in its place)
Click OK to create the monitor
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Inventory #
Write Solver File and Define Run
Workshop Supplement
Click the Define Run icon from the menu bar

Enable the Quit CFX-Pre toggle and click
Save to write the input file
Click Save and Quit when prompted to save the
simulation file

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Running the Solver
Workshop Supplement
When the Solver Manager appears, click Start Run.

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Monitoring the Residuals

Workshop Supplement
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Inventory #
Assessing Convergence
Workshop Supplement
After 100 iterations, the run has not

converged very well in terms of the
magnitudes of the residuals
Browse the output file and check the
imbalances for mass and the volume
fraction of Air at 25 C. They are also
still quite high.
Click on the User Points tab of the
Solver Manager to display the
change in the computed gas phase
holdup over time. The initial value
near 0.10 corresponds to the initial
headspace set in the initial guess
Start CFX-Post and load the results file
from your run

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Post-Processing
Workshop Supplement
Select the -z view. Create a xy-plane for a z-value of 0.01 m and color
it according to air.Volume Fraction. Clearly, the air volume fraction field is still
evolving (The ANSYS CFX solver is time marching, even for a
steady-state run)

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Inventory #
Continuing the Run
Workshop Supplement
From the Solver Manager,

click on Tools/Edit CFX Solver File
and select the results file
for your current run.
Find the Solver Control
section in the Definition File Editor
and expand Convergence Control
Double-click Physical
Timescale and change it to
0.02 s. Double-click Maximum
Number of Iterations and change
it to 400
Click File/Save then File/Exit.
Click the Restart icon to resume
the run with the new settings

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Solver Monitor
Workshop Supplement
The second run will require some time to complete ( 30 - 60 minutes)

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Imbalance and Holdup
Workshop Supplement
Convergence and imbalances are still not great but we can examine the Results
File in CFD-Post to look for causes
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Inventory #
Post-Processing
Workshop Supplement
Start Post and load the current results file. Select the -z view. Create a XYPlane for a z-value of 0.01 m and color it according to air.Volume Fraction.
Next, clip the range by setting a user-specified range from 0 to 0.125. The
bubble plume is unsteady which causes the wiggles in the convergence
behavior.

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Comparison to Experiment
Workshop Supplement
The current steady-state simulation results predict an oscillating relatively

narrow plume of bubbles rising up the center of the column. The
experimental pictures show that the length of the initial narrow plume of
bubbles is much shorter than what the simulation predicts
Bubbles dispersed
across the column
Narrow plume of
bubbles near the
inlet
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September 1, 2009
Inventory #
Adding Non-Drag Forces
Workshop Supplement
One reason for the difference between

the experimental bubble plume
and the simulation prediction is the
neglecting of several important
non-drag forces including lift, turbulent
dispersion, and wall lubrication.
These will be included in the second
workshop.

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Inventory #

CFX Multiphase 12.0 WS01 BubbleColumn

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CFX Multiphase 12.

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

This workshop models the dispersion of air bubbles in

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Rectangular Bubble Column Geometry

Air inlet at the bottom via

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Wire mesh sensor

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Importing the Mesh

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Hightlight the imported mesh in

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Defining the Domain Fluids (Continuous Phase)

Double-click the Default Domain created for

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Defining the Domain Fluids (Dispersed Phase)

Still on the Basic Settings tab of the Details

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Viewing the Fluid Densities

Expand the Materials entry in the outline and

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Setting the Buoyancy Properties

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Fluid Domain: Fluid Models

Left-Click the Fluid Models tab for the

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Fluid Domain: Fluid Specific Models

Click on the Fluid Specific Models tab on

Click on water and set:

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Fluid Domain: Fluid Pairs

Click on the Fluid Pair Models tab and:

Click OK to complete the domain definition

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Flow Boundary Condition Strategy

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Inlet Boundary Condition: inlet

Insert an Inlet boundary named inlet

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Inlet Boundary Condition: inlet: Fluid Values

On the Fluid Values tab:

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Opening Boundary Condition: outlet

Insert a boundary named outlet

On the Fluid Values form:

Click OK to create the boundary

ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary

WS1: Rectangular Bubble Column

Default Wall Boundary Condition: