Question for gas/liquid flow
 

Hi,

I am trying to solve two fluid (gas & liquid phase) at same time in Fluent 5.5. Bowl contains liquid, and is being rotated with constant angular velocity. Gas phase is passing above liquid surface with constant velocity. Cylinder type heat source provides thermal energy to liquid and gas phase, which is positioned at the outside of bowl.

I assigned natural & foced convection flow term for liquid, and tried to solve thermal and fluid flow field at same time.

But, it was not cnverged due to quite different density of gas and liquid phase.

If I assign liquid surface as wall(slip wall) instead of interior, this model can be converged. But, axial flow of gas and liquid is not allowed by wall.

Could you let me know how I can make well converged results for this model?

Thanks,

Re: Question for gas/liquid flow
 

what kind of multiphase model do you tried ?

If you use VOF I think want you can't model heat transfert in FLUENT 5.5

Multiphase flow is quite always hard to converge, the reasons why depends on the model you use.

Best regards

Alain

Re: Question for gas/liquid flow
 

Thanks for your kind comment. I also considered VOF for my model. But, VOF is improper for my model because of complexity.

I have large size of tank(cooling wall) system. Some solid structure including insulation, heating source, bowl and so on are encapsuled in consant low pressure. Gas phase flows from inlet to outlet of tank, and passes on the liquid surface. Liquid is contained in bowl, which is being rotated in constant angular velocity.

I think Steady state condition is better to understand the fluid flow and thermal condition in the tank.

The main diiculties to be converged are 1. Natural convection of liquid 2. Significant density difference between liquid and gas phases.

In case of #2, Interlayer between gas phase and liquid surface is automatically assigned interior. So, density difference did not allow converging. I changed this interior to wall at boundary condition. But, wall did not permit swirl velocity of liquid. That means swirl velociy near by wall is nearly zero. So, I gave slide wall condition which has no shear stress. But, this condition does not permit axial directional flow(normal to the liquid surface).

So, I would like to know how I can converge from interior between liquid surface and gas phase instead wall condition. Would you give me good method?

Thanks,

Re: Question for gas/liquid flow
 

So if you don't use VOF what kind of model do you use : the algebraic model in fluent 5.5 or the euler / euler model of fluent 4 ?

Anyway this some clues in order to have a chance to converge :

1. run in transient mode. Even if your are only interested in steady state, the steady solution is hard to obtain directly.

2. Check your discretisation order you should use 1st order at the begining of the calculation to improve stability.

3 check out your pressure/velocity coupling. Fluent recommand the body weight interpolation for multiphase flow and it is true that it improve stability.

4. If you run euler/euler model on FLUENT 4 try to converge without multigrid. It's slower but it's easier !

5. Use a step by step strategy for convergence : run your multiphase flow without heat transfert and turbulence with a low rotating velocity, increase the rotating velocity, enable turbulence, enable heat transfert,...etc

6. Underelax interphase exchange term, pressure and turbulence.

I hope this could help you.

Best regards

Alain

Re: Question for gas/liquid flow
 

A) I am confused with ur system. B) what I understand, you have a rotary bowl rotating at x rpm, on the top there is air and bottom is filled with liquid water, now you want to model the free surface with heat transfer.. am I right? C) what's the pressure of the air? D) How did you confirm that bcos of ONLY density difference, you didn't get a converged solution ? E) I don't think you would get a steady state solution :)

DC

Re: Question for gas/liquid flow
 

(a) Please consider crystal crowth(Czhochoralski method) system. (b) is correct. (c) pressure is no matter. Actually 20 torr. (d) intentional wall between liquid and gas made converging. Intentionally given similar density between liquid and gas made converging, even if interface between liquid and gas phase was assigned as interior. So, I think density difference between liquid(2.52g/cc) and gas(0.014g/cc). Generally interface between liquid and gas phase was assigned as interior. With this condition, converging was not happend. (e) I think time dependence is too complicate to apply in my system.

Thanks,

JW