The basic character of five two-phase flow model equation sets

Abstract

Three test problems were simulated using five different two-phase flow model equation sets from the open literature. The test problems chosen were a fluidized bed, a batch settling, and a horizontal jet impingement on a vertical wall. These three problems demonstrate an important cross-section of physical phenomena, such as fluidized bed voidage oscillations, phase separation, countercurrent flow, and jet formation. The dispersed flow regime is selected for all three problems. The study was performed to assess the basic character of the five-field equation sets responding to the same initial and boundary conditions and using the same finite difference numerical scheme. The general performance of the five equation sets was found to be similar, even though one of them was ill posed as an initial-value problem. Broad trends are the same and quantitative differences could be assessed by examining the fine structure of the results. None of the equation sets could be entirely rejected on the basis of producing physically impossible or unacceptable results. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.