Detailed Modeling of a Metal Distributor by Means of a Combined Numerical and Physical Approach

Abstract

By means of detailed measurements it is shown that the outflow characteristics of the commonly used glass cloth type metal distribution bag are strongly influenced by the deformation of the bag. This deformation is caused by the dynamic interaction between the flexible bag and its surrounding flow field. As a consequence, accurate prediction of the fluid flow in the liquid pool cannot be performed if the distortion of the distribution bag is not taken into account. In this article a method is presented to incorporate the influence of the distortion of the flexible bag on the flow. In this method results from water model measurement are used as input for the numerical modeling. These measurements represent in an implicit manner the entire interaction of the flexible distribution bag with the flow field. The modeling results then show that using the measured input leads to a different and more accurate prediction of the mixing in the sump compared to a more conventional method of modeling.