Experimental study of liquid distribution in a column with a structured packing

Reflective fiber optic sensors are used to measure the thickness of a liquid film on geometrically complex surfaces inside a distillation column with a structured packing and countercurrent flow of gas and liquid. Distributions of the liquid-film thickness as a function of flow-rate parameters for an elementary region (cell) of a geometrically repeated pattern in a structured packing consisted of Koch 1Y corrugated plates and for the column cross section are presented. It is shown that the flow conditions characterized by the detachment of liquid films from the plate by air flow (until the complete column “flooding”) is accompanied by a sharp increase in the pressure drop in the column. Inside the cell, the liquid forms menisci in the zone of plate contact points. The countercurrent air flow reduces the fluctuations of the film thickness by 1.5 to 2 times on the edge and side downslopes of the corrugation.     

Spreading of an inviscid drop impacting on a liquid film

The evolution of the deforming liquid surface following the impact of a drop onto a film of the same liquid is analysed numerically using a boundary integral method assuming axisymmetric, inviscid flow. Surface tension and gravity are taken into account. At times comparable to, or larger than the impact time scale (based on initial drop radius and impact velocity), the section of the liquid surface bounded by the radially propagating crown or rim is predicted to approach a single central shape independent of film thickness. At times which are much smaller than the impact time scale, jetting behaviour is obtained in the neck region where the drop meets the film when the Weber number is large enough. The jet is found to move close to the film, and this suggests the possibility of bubble entrapment, confirming a previous report in the literature. The present results suggest the occurrence of a train of bubble rings from repeated near-reconnection events as the neck moves radially outwards under jetting conditions.     

三维微管液滴形成及破碎的数值模拟

基于多相流模型的VOF方法求解三维坐标下微管末端液滴形成过程,参考丙三醇溶液,分别探讨不同表面张力、密度、射流速度下液滴形成过程,和液滴断裂长度、形成时间、主液滴直径受其影响情况,并分析断裂阶段轴线上压力和轴向速度分布。     

Adhesion of air bubbles to a fluorite surface in the presence of oleate species

Measurements of the detachment force of air bubbles from a surface of fluorite covered with an oleate film immersed in an aqueous sodium oleate solution or water were carried out. The contact angles for the systems fluorite/oleate film-drop of aqueous sodium oleate solution-air, fluorite/oleate film-air bubble-aqueous sodium oleate solution, and fluorite/oleate film-air bubble-water were also measured. The detachment forces were also calculated from the measured contact angles. It was found that the adhesion of air bubbles to the fluorite surface increased considerably in the presence of an oleate film on the fluorite surface, but decreased if the oleate film was at the water-air interface. Good agreement between the theoretically calculated and the measured values of the detachment force for the system fluorite/oleate film-air bubble-sodium oleate aqueous solution when the concentration of this latter solution was in the range 0 to 87.1 mg/dm³ was also found, but for concentrations over 87.1 mg/dm³ the calculated values of the detachment force were higher than the measured values. The calculations and measurements indicate that the most favourable condition for the adhesion of air bubbles to fluorite grains is the presence of a chemisorbed film of oleate without surface precipitation of calcium oleate salt at low concentrations of oleate species in water.     

Liquid–liquid slug flow: Hydrodynamics and pressure drop

In this paper, the hydrodynamics and the pressure drop of liquid–liquid slug flow in round microcapillaries are presented. Two liquid–liquid flow systems are considered, viz. water-toluene and ethylene glycol/water-toluene. The slug lengths of the alternating continuous and dispersed phases were measured as a function of the slug velocity (0.03–0.5 m/s), the organic-to-aqueous flow ratio (0.1–4.0), and the microcapillary internal diameter (248 and 498 μm). The pressure drop is modeled as the sum of two contributions: the frictional and the interface pressure drop. Two models are presented, viz. the stagnant film model and the moving film model. Both models account for the presence of a thin liquid film between the dispersed phase slug and the capillary wall. It is found that the film velocity is of negligible influence on the pressure drop. Therefore, the stagnant film model is adequate to accurately predict the liquid–liquid slug flow pressure drop. The influence of inertia and the consequent change of the slug cap curvature are accounted for by modifying Bretherton’s curvature parameter in the interface pressure drop equation. The stagnant film model is in good agreement with experimental data with a mean relative error of less than 7%.     

微细圆管及扁平管内液-液Taylor流动特性的数值研究

微细通道内Taylor流动广泛应用于能源化工领域，为分析其相界面及阻力特性，利用相对坐标系的方法，研究了竖直圆管及扁平管内的液-液Taylor流动，讨论了通道宽高比、Reynolds数（Re）及分散相体积分数对液膜厚度和两相压降的影响。结果表明：圆管内液滴头部和尾部可以膨胀至近似球形，而扁平管内壁面的限制作用较强，液滴呈现扁平状。随Reynolds数增大，两相界面逐渐收缩，液膜厚度逐渐上升。圆管内液膜厚度比较均匀，扁平管内液膜在通道顶部较薄，而圆弧部分较厚。两相压降随Re和宽高比的增大而增大，随分散相体积分数的增大而降低。相比连续相和分散相压降，界面压降所占的比重最高，并依据模拟结果，提出了圆管及扁平管内液-液Taylor流动的压降预测公式。     

Dynamics of Emerging Water Droplet Subjected to Sidewall with Different Wettabilities in a Fuel Cell Cathode Channel

On‐site experiments on low temperature fuel cells revealed that water droplets tend to emerge into the gas channel at the corner. This motivates the present investigation on the effects of the location where water emerges from and the wettability of sidewall on the dynamic behaviour of liquid water in gas channel by numerical simulations that employ the volume‐of‐fluid method. A microchannel with a square cross‐section of 0.25 mm in width and a pore of 0.05 mm in diameter is adopted. The simulation results for different pore locations and wettabilities of sidewall show that the behaviour of water droplet only depends on the wettability of bottom wall when it emerges from the centreline without attaching to the sidewall and gains the highest pressure drop. When the emergence location shifts towards the corner, the water droplet unavoidably attaches to the sidewall and thus the wettability of sidewall is found to have significant effects on its dynamics: hydrophobic sidewall results in droplet detachment and fast removal with the highest pressure drop and the minimal water saturation, whereas hydrophilic sidewall leads to a water film and accumulation with the lowest pressure drop and the minimal water coverage on the bottom wall.     

规整填料表面液膜流动特性的数值模拟

精馏过程气液两相流运动分布特征对分离效率具有重要影响。为研究规整填料表面液膜流体动力学特性建立了基于VOF方法的CFD分析模型,并基于文献试验结果进行了验证。对液膜随时间和空间的演化分布特征、速度场分布和液相流量影响进行了模拟分析。液膜在波纹顶部下沿聚集形成凸起状波峰,在波纹底部波峰消失,而到达下节波纹上沿时,波峰重新形成;瞬态液膜厚度随时间波动,且沿填料表面液膜平均厚度先减小后保持稳定;发现液相聚集及形成液滴坠落容易导致出现干板区。不同位置液膜速度分布存在明显差异,沿填料表面液膜平均速度先增后减或保持稳定;液膜绕过波纹顶部时会加速,在波纹底部和上沿处会减速。液相流量增大,液膜平均厚度和速度均有所增大。     

Mitigating fines plugging in high pressure/temperature hydrotreaters using an induced-pulsing trickle-bed filtration approach

The fine particles deposition/detachment process under liquid flow shear shock or forced periodic operation conditions in a high pressure/temperature trickle-bed reactor was analyzed theoretically using a dynamic multiphase flow deep-bed filtration model. The model incorporates physical effects associated with detachment of the fine particles from the collector surface as a result of colloidal forces in the case of Brownian particles or by the hydrodynamic forces for non-Brownian particles. An important finding of the work was that for non-colloidal fine particles, forced periodic operation procured improvements (assessed in terms of reduction in specific deposit and pressure drop) in the mitigation of plugging in trickle-bed reactors. However, due to the highest critical shear stress values for fine particles in the colloidal range, forced periodic operation did not substantiate useful practical effect. In the circumstances when Brownian fine particles are involved, reduction of plugging may take place under liquid flow shock conditions.     

PREDICTION OF PRESSURE DROP IN A VENTURI SCRUBBER: EFFECT OF LIQUID FILM AND RE-ENTRAINMENT

A mathematical model has been developed for prediction of pressure drop in a Venturi scrubber. This model includes the effect of the amount of liquid film and re-entrainment of liquid droplets from liquid film. The result of the present model is compared with experimental data of Viswanathan et al. (1985) as well as with the other models (Viswanathan et al., 1985; Boll, 1973). Results of this study indicate that at high liquid to gas ratios prediction of pressure drop can be improved by considering re-entrainment and liquid film effects. Also the effects of gas velocity and liquid to gas ratio were investigated on the rate of droplet re-entrainment and pressure drop.     

Automated image analysis for trajectory determination of single drop collisions

The fundamental analysis of drop coalescence probability in liquid/liquid systems is necessary to reliably predict drop size distributions in technical applications. For this crucial investigation two colliding oil drops in continuous water phase were recorded with different high speed camera set-ups under varying conditions. In order to analyze the huge amount of recorded image sequences with varying resolutions and qualities, a robust automated image analysis was developed. This analysis is able to determine the trajectories of two colliding drops as well as the important events of drop detachment from cannulas and their collision. With this information the drop velocity in each sequence is calculated and mean values of multiple drop collisions are determined for serial examinations of single drop collisions. Using the developed automated image analysis for drop trajectory and velocity calculation, approximately 1–2 recorded high speed image sequences can be evaluated per minute.     

Gas-assisted displacement of a viscoelastic fluid in capillary geometries

The effect of fluid viscoelasticity on the fraction of liquid deposited on the walls of capillary geometry and the pressure drop at the capillary static region are theoretically investigated using the Criminale-Ericksen-Filbey (CEF) constitutive equation to describe a non-Newtonian fluid displaced by the pressurized gas in a capillary. The singular perturbation method is used to determine the residual liquid film thickness of a viscoelastic fluid on the walls of a circular tube or a rectangular channel when displaced by another immiscible fluid. Inner and outer expansions are developed in terms of both a small parameter Ca^1/3 and a small parameter De/Ca^1/3. The method of matched asymptotic expansion is used to match the inner and outer solutions by means of a transition region between the advancing meniscus and the entrained film where the fluid rheology has its greatest effect. A detailed analysis indicates that the residual liquid film thickness of the viscoelastic fluid tends to decrease and the pressure drop across the bubble front tends to increase as the fluid becomes more viscoelastic. The theoretical results presented in this paper are in agreement with some of the experimental data and theoretical analyses available in the literature.     

水平圆形与方形微小通道内R134a冷凝数值模拟

利用数值模拟研究了水平圆形与方形微小通道内R134a的冷凝换热阻力特性,制冷剂饱和温度为320 K。结果表明:传热系数与摩擦压降梯度随着质量流量、干度的升高而升高,而干度大于0.85时,摩擦压降梯度随着干度的升高而降低。方形通道的换热与阻力均高于圆形通道,数值结果与文献冷凝换热、阻力公式吻合较好。圆形通道内冷凝液膜集聚在通道下部,而方形通道内液膜集中在角落区域。薄液膜区域所占的比例随着干度的增大而增大,方形通道内的液膜厚度要小于圆形通道,换热效果优于圆形通道。     

STABILITY OF THE LENSLIKE LIQUID THICKENING (THE DROP) ON A SOLID SUBSTRATE

The quasi equilibrium of a liquid lens or a liquid drop on a solid substrate is considered on the basis of the thermodynamics of microscopic thin liquid films. Both contact angles, corresponding to the membrane model and to the finite thickness layer convention of the film, have been derived as a function of the disjoining pressure isotherm. The analytical expressions for the line tension terms have been obtained, and the criterion for the stability of a liquid drop on a solid substrate has been proposed.     

STABILITY OF THE LENSLIKE LIQUID THICKENING (THE DROP) ON A SOLID SUBSTRATE

The quasi equilibrium of a liquid lens or a liquid drop on a solid substrate is considered on the basis of the thermodynamics of microscopic thin liquid films. Both contact angles, corresponding to the membrane model and to the finite thickness layer convention of the film, have been derived as a function of the disjoining pressure isotherm. The analytical expressions for the line tension terms have been obtained, and the criterion for the stability of a liquid drop on a solid substrate has been proposed.     

Destabilization of leidenfrost boiling by a sudden rise of ambient pressure

The contact of two liquids, one at a temperature significantly above the boiling point of the other, can lead to fast vapor formation on an explosive time scale causing mechanical damage. Such an event, generally termed a “vapor explosion”, has been recognized as the cause of accidents in a wide variety of smelting and liquefied natural gas (LNG) industries. The increase of awareness of the problem, especially in hypothetical accidents in liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR), has resulted in a broad research effort to investigate the sequence of events and the necessary conditions leading to a vapor explosion.A key step in the explosion scenario has been identified as the destabilization of film boiling, resulting in liquid-liquid contact over a large area. It is found experimentally that, when the ambient pressure is suddenly increased around an evaporating volatile drop suspended above a hot liquid surface, the vapor film may or may not collapse. A theory is developed here in which instability corresponds to resonance between the oscillations in the creeping-flow vapor film thickness and the capillary waves on the underside of the drop surface.Two separate estimates are made of the critical vapor film thickness at which instability occurs, one by a creeping flow model of the film thickness oscillation, and the other by a Taylor-Helmholtz instability model. The two models are in agreement with each other and with the data.     

压力喷雾分散模型初探

本文分析了旋涡式压力喷嘴的雾化机理,研究了液膜的受力情况,指出了液膜的分裂条件,推导出计算液滴直径的公式,其计算结果与实验数据较为吻合。     

Drop formation at a hole in a plate submerged in quiescent continuous phase: comparison of plain hole and nozzle hole

The phenomenon of drop formation at a single plain hole and a single nozzle hole in a plate submerged in a quiescent continuous phase is studied by carrying out numerical simulations. Phase-field method has been used for tracking the evolution of the interface between the drop phase and the continuous phase. The computational approach used in the numerical simulations is validated using the data reported in literature. The validated computational approach is then used for parametric analysis to understand the effects of various independent variables on the phenomenon of drop formation. For identical conditions, the drops formed at a nozzle hole are found to be smaller than the drops formed at a plain hole. The drop detachment time is more for a plain hole than for a nozzle hole. The drop detachment height is, however, more for a nozzle hole than for a plain hole. Correlations to estimate drop diameter for both types of holes are presented.     

In Situ Observation of Phase Separation of a Barium Borate Melt in a Stable Immiscibility Region under Microgravity

The precipitation of droplets was directly observed on a BaO–B₂O₃ melt in a drop shaft experiment. This is the first time that precipitation of droplets has been observed in a 4.5 s drop test. The melt film of 4BaOz96B₂O₃ (mol%) held on a platinum wire loop was heated above the critical tem-perature to produce uniformity and was cooled down to the phase separation temperature range. Phase separation of the melt was observed directly with a video camera. The IR image of the melt was simultaneously detected with a CCD array and was converted into a two-dimensional thermograph.     

3‐D numerical simulations on flow and mixing behaviors in gas–liquid–solid microchannels

Three‐dimensional (3‐D) gas‐liquid–solid flow and mixing behaviors in microchannels were simulated by coupled volume of fluid and discrete phase method and simulations were validated against observations. The detachment time and length of gas slug are shortened in liquid–solid flow, compared with those in liquid flow due to higher superficial viscosity of liquid–solid mixture, which will move the bubble formation toward the dripping regime. Solid particles mainly distribute in liquid slug and particle flow shows obvious periodicity. With the increase of contact angle of the inner wall, gas slug (0–50°), stratified (77–120°), and liquid drop (160°) flows are observed. The residence time distributions of solid and liquid phases are similar because particles behave as tracers. The backmixing of solid and liquid phases in liquid drop flow is the weakest among the three flow patterns, and the backmixing of gas phase in slug flow is weaker than that in both stratified and liquid drop flows. The results can provide a theoretical basis for the design of microreactors. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 1934–1951, 2013