Multiphase model of flow and separation phases in a whirlpool: Advanced simulation and phenomena visualization approach

Abstract

In whirlpool, a separator used in the brewing industry, the deposits accumulate in the central zone at the bottom of the separator. The deposit assumes a shape that resembles a flattened cone, referred to as the “tea leaf paradox.” It is so-named because the deposit accumulates seemingly against the influence of the centrifugal force that develops from the rotating movement of the mixture. Previous studies have performed a simulation of the two-phase volume of fraction (VOF) model with swirling liquid and air. In the present study, we suggest an expansion of the existing model with a dispersed phase of the hot trub. A three-phase VOF model was built to analyze the movement and formation of the cone. Material data obtained referred to the wort and hot trub after boiling with hops. The simulated shape of the cone was compared to its counterparts obtained under industrial conditions. The values of the velocity of particles of deposit were also analyzed. Results were compared with the visualization of the cone's formation for rapidly sedimenting particles and for hot trub and wort flow under laboratory conditions. The analysis deems the VOF three-phase model suitable to predict sedimentation and accumulation of sediment.