Large eddy simulation of gas-liquid flow in a bubble column reactor

The dynamics of the gasliquid flow developing in a cylindrical laboratory bubble column reactor is addressed using Eulerian-Lagrangian simulations. The three-dimensional unsteady simulations combine the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) turbulence model for describing the liquid phase and a Lagragian approach for the gas (discrete) phase. The bubble equation of motion considers all the relevant forces, i.e., buoyancy, pressure, drag, added mass and transverse lift. From the calculations, the transverse lift in combination with the drag is identified as the main mechanism allowing the bubbles to spread over the column cross-section. The liquid and gas velocity profiles obtained are compared with the experimental data and k - epsilon results presented in Lain et al. (2001). As a result, the dynamic structure of the liquid flow induced by the rising bubbles is well reproduced and also good quantitative results for all measured variables of both phases, gas and liquid, are obtained.