3D random pore structure modeling and simulation of pressure drop characteristics in fixed-bed contactors

Abstract

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation has emerged as a powerful tool for simulating the pressure drop characteristics of fixed-bed contactors, particularly when coupled with mesh generation methods. This study presents a new three-dimensional (3D) meshing method for fixed-bed contactors. Rather than using particle sizes, we characterize the random pore structure by different bed porosities and pore sizes, and then perform CFD simulations of creeping flow to investigate the effects of inlet velocity and pore structure parameters on pressure drop. These CFD results are used to establish pressure drop correlation. The output pressure drop values are then compared with those derived from the classical Ergun's equation. From this comparison, pressure drop can be predicted within 20% error indicating the accuracy of the proposed model. In general, the proposed 3D random pore structure model can be applied for porous media like fixed-bed contactors.