Tools for the simulation of multicomponent vapour-liquid flows

多组分汽液流动在许多工业应用和自然过程中至关重要。最近，研究这种多相流基本方面的研究迅速增加，这主要是由于人们对改进现有工业工艺的兴趣，以及利用数值分析、微流体和纳米技术的新进展开发更有效的设备。尽管最近做出了这些努力，但在对这些复杂现象的基本理解方面仍然存在显著的知识差距，因此使用计算流体动力学(CFD)工具进行详细的建模和模拟仍然是一项非常困难的任务。**该研究计划的主要目标是通过开发更好的计算工具来模拟和应用这些工具来改进工业过程，从而促进对汽液流动的基本理解。具体的重点是研究的四个关键阶段。首先，将开发一个计算模型来研究天然气水合物的形成及其对气液界面传质的影响。其次，这一模型将被扩展以提高其效率，以允许对大规模系统进行模拟，例如在化学加工和石油和天然气行业中常见的系统。第三，开发一种更节能的混合蒸馏-渗透汽化乙醇分离系统，这将有助于提高乙醇作为生物燃料的可行性。最后，开发了一种节能的混合蒸馏-膜接触器丁醇分离系统，这将有助于提高丁醇作为潜在生物燃料的可行性。总之，这些研究工作将导致培训高级计算技术和实验方法方面的高素质人员，这将支持加拿大未来的经济发展。此外，这项研究将导致开发新的计算工具，改进化学分离过程，并促进对汽液流动的基本理解，所有这些都将有助于推动未来的经济发展。

Multicomponent vapour-liquid flows are critically important in many industrial applications and natural processes. Recently, there has been a rapid growth in the number of studies investigating the fundamental aspects of such multiphase flows, primarily driven by interest in improving existing industrial processes and the development of more efficient devices using new advances in numerical analysis, microfluidics and nanotechnology. Despite these recent efforts, significant knowledge gaps remain in the fundamental understanding of these complex phenomena, and therefore detailed modeling and simulation using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools remains a very difficult task.**The primary objective of this research program is to advance the fundamental understanding of vapour-liquid flows by developing better computational tools for their simulation and applying these tools to improve industrial processes. The specific focus is on four key stages of research. First, a computational model will be developed to study the formation of natural gas hydrates and their impact on mass transfer through the gas-liquid interface. Second, this model will be extended to improve its efficiency to permit simulation of large-scale systems, such as those commonly found in the chemical processing and oil and gas industries. Third, a more energy efficient hybrid distillation-pervaporation system for ethanol separation will be developed, which will help to improve the viability of ethanol as a biofuel. Finally, an energy efficient hybrid distillation-membrane contactor system for butanol separation will be developed, which will help to improve the viability of butanol as a potential biofuel. Altogether, these research efforts will lead to the training of Highly Qualified Personnel in advanced computational techniques and experimental methods, which will support future economic development in Canada. Furthermore, this research will result in the development of new computational tools, improvement of chemical separation processes and advancement in the fundamental understanding of vapour-liquid flows, all of which will help to drive future economic development.