Multiphase flow modelling of chemical processes

多相流在化学和矿物加工操作中是普遍存在的。例如：（a）沥青提取，其中在沥青中，水、砂和空气在水力输送管线中或在旋转滚筒中接触，随后在分离容器和浮选装置中处理，（B）蒸馏塔和（c）流化床。然而，对这些流动的基本理解是非常困难的，从而导致简化的假设被调用，以使简单的设计程序。理想蒸馏塔板、搅拌均匀的混合罐等实例在化学工程中非常常见。这些简化虽然允许开发简单的设计程序，但通常限制了设计人员将操作从实验室规模扩大到中试规模再到全工厂规模的能力。幸运的是，强大的计算机和最近的计算算法使计算流体动力学的发展，特别是多相流的直接模拟。我的主要贡献是在开发下一代高效算法以及将CFD应用于能源领域遇到的许多实际问题。在下一阶段的研究下，这个发现补助金，我计划继续研究多相流处理两个固体-流体系统和流体-流体系统。重点将是在复杂的几何形状，如双螺杆挤出机遇到的聚合物加工，在实验室上的A-Chipo设备遇到的微流体设备，在燃料电池堆中的流动的两相混合物的流动。

Multiphase flows are ubiquitous in chemical and mineral processing operations. Examples are: (a) bitumen extraction where in bitumen, water, sand and air are contacted either in the hydro transport lines or in rotating tumblers, followed by processing in separation vessels and flotation devices, (b) distillation columns and (c) fluidized beds. Yet fundamental understanding of these flows is very difficult to develop resulting in simplifying assumptions that are invoked to enable simple design procedures. Examples such as the ideal distillation tray, well stirred mixing tank with homogenous compositions are very common in chemical engineering. These simplifications, while allowing simple design procedures to be developed, often limit the ability of designers to scale up an operation from bench scale to pilot scale to full plant scale. Fortunately powerful computers and recent computational algorithms are enabling development of computational fluid dynamics and in particular direct simulation of multiphase flows. My main contributions have been both in the development of next generation, efficient algorithms as well as applications of CFD to many practical problems encountered in the energy sector. During the next period of research under this Discovery Grant, I plan to continue the study of multiphase flows for handling both solid-fluid systems and fluid-fluid systems . The focus will be on flow of two phase mixtures in complex geometries like the twin-screw extruders encountered polymer processing, micro fluidic devices encountered in Lab-on-A-Chipo devices, flow in fuel cell stacks.