A critical review of dispersion in packed beds

The phenomenon of dispersion (transverse and longitudinal) in packed beds is summarized and reviewed for a great deal of information from the literature. Dispersion plays an important part, for example, in contaminant transport in ground water flows, in miscible displacement of oil and gas and in reactant and product transport in packed bed reactors. There are several variables that must be considered, in the analysis of dispersion in packed beds, like the length of the packed column, viscosity and density of the fluid, ratio of column diameter to particle diameter, ratio of column length to particle diameter, particle size distribution, particle shape, effect of fluid velocity and effect of temperature (or Schmidt number). Empirical correlations are presented for the prediction of the dispersion coefficients (D _T and D _L) over the entire range of practical values of Sc and Pe_m, and works on transverse and longitudinal dispersion of non-Newtonian fluids in packed beds are also considered.     

Hydrodynamics and mass transfer coefficients for a modified Raschig ring packed column

The pressure drop, the liquid holdup, as well as the liquid film mass transfer coefficients (k_L) for a modified Raschig packing, with turbulence promoters, used in absorption columns, were determined experimentally. The aim of this work is to verify the improved mass transfer properties of this new packing for the randomly and, particularly, for the arranged packed columns. The experiments were performed at gas velocities ranging from 800 to 2,000 m h^?1 and liquid velocities scaling between 2.5 and 8.11 m h^?1, ranges that cover most of the absorption column operation conditions. Experimental data and correlations for the pressure drop, the liquid holdup and the gas–liquid mass transfer coefficients (k_L) for modified Raschig ring packed columns are presented. The influence of the gas and the liquid velocities on the column hydrodynamics and the mass transfer coefficients have been obtained experimentally and also, have been compared with literature data.     

Bubble generation and transport in a microfluidic device with high aspect ratio

Bubble generation and transport in a micro-device composed of a micro-T-junction and a following serpentine micro-channel was experimentally investigated. It has a rectangular cross-sectional with an aspect ratio of 7.425. Air and water were used as gas and liquid, respectively. Mixtures of water–glycerol and water–Tween-20 were used to study the effects of liquid viscosity and surface tension. Compared with previous T-junction bubble generation, the liquid and gas inlets orientation was switched in this work. The continuous flow was driven from the perpendicular channel and the dispersion flow was from the main channel. It shows that the break-up process has three periodic steps under certain operating conditions. The dimensionless bubble length L/w in the micro-channel with high aspect ratio is much larger than that in square microchannels. A correlation is proposed to correlate L/w with liquid flow rate J_L, gas flow rate J_G, and liquid viscosity μ_L. Surface tension σ can change the bubble shape but almost does not affect the bubble length in this fast break-up process. Additionally, a long bubble may be broken up at the corners at the same time because the locations of gas and liquid are exchanged relative to the concave and convex portions of an elbow after a turn which may result in the change of fluid velocities and gas–liquid pressure drop.     

Spreading of inkjet droplet of non-Newtonian fluid on solid surface with controlled contact angle at low Weber and Reynolds numbers

The dynamics of inkjet droplet of non-Newtonian fluid on glass substrates was investigated experimentally and compared with that of Newtonian fluid. The non-Newtonian fluids used here were 100 ppm solutions of polyethylene oxide (300k, 600k and 900k) dissolved in the 1:1 mixture of water and glycerin. Weber number (We) was 2–35 and Ohnesorge number was fixed at 0.057 ± 0.003. The wettability of solid substrate was also varied. The diameter of inkjet droplets in the present study was about 50 μm and was much smaller than the size of the previous studies on drop impact. Due to the development of a thin and long thread at the rear of the main drop the jetting window of polymer solution was much narrower than that of Newtonian fluid, and hence the experimental range of Weber number was restricted. The impact scenarios of non-Newtonian inkjet droplets were found to be qualitatively different from those of Newtonian droplets during the receding phase while they were almost the same as the Newtonian fluid case during the kinematic phase. The spreading diameter at the equilibrium was well correlated with the modified Weber number (We′ = We/(1 − cos θ_eq)) as in the case of Newtonian fluid, where θ_eq is the equilibrium contact angle. The similarity or disparity between the Newtonian and non-Newtonian cases was discussed considering the conformation of polymer chains during each stage of drop deformation.     

Non-Darcy Free Convection of Power-Law Fluids Over a Two-Dimensional Body Embedded in a Porous Medium

A boundary layer analysis was presented to study the non-Darcy-free convection of a power-law fluid over a non-isothermal two-dimensional body embedded in a porous medium. The Ostwald-de Waele power-law model was used to characterize the non-Newtonian fluid behavior. Similarity solutions were obtained with variations in surface temperature or surface heat flux. In view of the fact that most of the non-Newtonian fluids have large Prandtl numbers, this study was directed toward such fluids. The effects of the porous medium parameters, k ₁ and k ₂, body shape parameter, m, and surface thermal variations parameter, p, as well as the power-law index, n, were examined.     

Peristaltic transport of a power-law fluid: Application to the ductus efferentes of the reproductive tract

The problem of peristaltic transport of a non-Newtonian (power-law) fluid in uniform and non-uniform two-dimensional channels has been investigated under zero Reynolds number with long wavelength approximation. A comparison of the results with those for a Newtonian fluid model shows that the magnitude of pressure rise, under a given set of conditions, is smaller in the case of the non-Newtonian fluid (power-law indexn < 1) at zero flow rate. Further, the pressure rise is smaller asn decreases from 1 at zero flow rate, is independent ofn at a certain value of flow rate and becomes greater if flow rate increases further. Also, at a given flow rate, an increase in wavelength leads to a decrease in pressure rise and increase in the influence of non-Newtonian behaviour. Pressure rise in the case of non-uniform geometry, is found to be much smaller than the corresponding value in the case of uniform geometry. Finally, the analysis is applied and compared with observed flow rates in the ductus efferentes of the male reproductive tract.     

Particle-wall collision in shear thinning fluids

The present study deals with the measurements of the impact w_i and rebound w_r velocities of steel particles in different fluids colliding with a rigid wall. The results are presented in terms of the coefficient of restitution e=w_r/w_i as a function of the Stokes number (ratio between the particle inertia and the viscous forces). We focus the attention on possible differences between rebounds that occur in Newtonian fluids and in non-Newtonian, shear thinning fluids. The measurements of wet coefficients of restitution in Newtonian fluid are in good agreement with the experimental data found by Gondret et al. (2002). In the range of Stokes number investigated, an increase of the coefficient of restitution with the shear thinning fluid is clearly observed with respect to the Newtonian data. Particular attention has been dedicated to techniques of image processing to perform an optimal estimation of the particle centroid in highly noisy images.     

Dynamics of a Taylor bubble in steady and pulsatile co-current flow of Newtonian and shear-thinning liquids in a vertical tube

A computational analysis is carried out to ascertain the effects of steady and pulsatile co-current flow, on the dynamics of an air bubble rising in a vertical tube containing water or a solution of Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) in water. The mass fraction (m_f) of CMC in the solution is varied in the range 0.1% ⩽ m_f ⩽ 1% to accommodate zero-shear dynamic viscosities in the range 0.009–2.99 Pa-s. It was found that the transient and time-averaged velocities of Taylor bubbles are independent of the bubble size under both steady as well as pulsatile co-current flows. The lengths of the Taylor bubbles under the Newtonian conditions are found to be consistently greater than the corresponding shear-thinning non-Newtonian conditions for any given zero-shear dynamic viscosity of the liquid. In contrast to observations in stagnant liquid columns, an increase in the dynamic viscosity of the liquid (under Newtonian conditions) results in a concomitant increase in the bubble velocity, for any given co-current liquid velocity. In shear-thinning liquids, the change in the bubble velocity with an increase in m_f is found to be relatively greater at higher co-current liquid velocities. During pulsatile shear-thinning flows, distinct ripples are observed to occur on the bubble surface at higher values of m_f, the locations of which remain stationary with reference to the tube for any given pulsatile flow frequency, while the bubble propagated upwards. In such a pulsatile shear-thinning flow, a localised increase in dynamic viscosity is accompanied near each ripple, which results in a localised re-circulation region inside the bubble, unlike a single re-circulation region that occurs in Newtonian liquids, or shear-thinning liquids with low values of m_f. It is also seen that as compared to frequency, the amplitude of pulsatile flow has a greater influence on the oscillating characteristics of the rising Taylor bubble. The amplitude of oscillation in the bubble velocity increases with an increase in the CMC mass fraction, for any given value of pulsatile flow amplitude.     

Non Newtonian annular alloy solidification in mould

The annular solidification of an aluminium–silicon alloy in a graphite mould with a geometry consisting of horizontal concentric cylinders is studied numerically. The analysis incorporates the behavior of non-Newtonian, pseudoplastic (n?=?0.2), Newtonian (n?=?1), and dilatant (n?=?1.5) fluids. The fluid mechanics and heat transfer coupled with a transient model of convection diffusion are solved using the finite volume method and the SIMPLE algorithm. Solidification is described in terms of a liquid fraction of a phase change that varies linearly with temperature. The final results make it possible to infer that the fluid dynamics and heat transfer of solidification in an annular geometry are affected by the non-Newtonian nature of the fluid, speeding up the process when the fluid is pseudoplastic.     

Bubble velocities: further developments on the jump discontinuity

The motion of a gas bubble in a non-Newtonian fluid has been further examined in order to determine the conditions for the possible existence of a discontinuity in the bubble velocity-bubble volume log–log plot. It has been proposed in the past that this phenomenon was the result of a sudden change in the hydrodynamics of the moving bubble, resulting in a transition from a Stroke to a Hadamard regime. Furthermore, this abrupt transition was only qualitatively attributed to the elasticity of the fluid. Using our data as well as those of Leal et al., we demonstrate here that the discontinuity results as a balance between elastic and Marangoni instabilities, providing another major difference between Newtonian and non-Newtonian hydrodynamics.     

NUMERICAL PREDICTION OF TWO-PHASE FLOW IN BUBBLE COLUMNS

A numerical model is described for the prediction of turbulent continuum equations for two-phase gas–liquid flows in bubble columns. The mathematical formulation is based on the solution of each phase. The two-phase model incorporates interfacial models of momentum transfer to account for the effects of virtual mass, lift, drag and pressure discontinuities at the gas–liquid interface. Turbulence is represented by means of a two-equation k–ϵ model modified to account for bubble-induced turbulence production. The numerical discretization is based on a staggered finite-volume approach, and the coupled equations are solved in a segregated manner using the IPSA method. The model is implemented generally in the multipurpose PHOENICS computer code, although the present appllications are restricted to two-dimensional flows. The model is applied to simulate two bubble column geometries and the predictions are compared with the measured circulation patterns and void fraction distributions.     

Oscillations of a gas bubble in a non-Newtonian liquid under the action of an acoustic field

The evolution of the radius of a spherical cavitation bubble in an incompressible non-Newtonian liquid under the action of an external acoustic field is investigated. Non-Newtonian liquids having relaxation properties and also pseudoplastic and dilatant liquids with powerlaw equation of state are studied. The equations for the oscillation of the gas bubble are derived, the stability of its radial oscillation and its spherical form are investigated, and formulas are given for the characteristic frequency of oscillations of the cavitation hollow in a relaxing liquid. The equations are integrated numerically. It is shown that in a relaxing non-Newtonian liquid the viscosity may lead to the instability of the radial oscillations and the spherical form of the bubble. The results obtained here are compared with the behavior of a gas bubble in a Newtonian liquid.     

Heat transfer through partitioned enclosures

A closed-form model for the computation of heat transfer rates through the rectangular-partitioned enclosures is investigated. The rectangular-partitioned enclosures may contain solid or gas with or without a constant and uniformly distributed heat generation. The conduction in the enclosures is considered as two-dimensional, whereas one-dimensional heat transfer through the fin-type partition is assumed. Dimensionless heat flux plots are parametrically studied by varying the aspect ratio (L/H) of the enclosure, the ratio of thermal conductivities of the enclosure to the fin-type partition (k _a /k _f ), the Biot number (β _a =h _a L/k _a ), and the reduced partition thickness (t ^*/L). It is demonstrated through an example problem that there is a large error in using one-dimensional analysis, particularly at lower values of k _a /k _f , and β _a .     

Hydrodynamic diffusivity of spherical particles in polymer solution

In this research experiments were performed to examine the hydrodynamic diffusion of spherical particles in a highly filled suspension. The suspension consisted of nearly monodisperse polymethylmethacrylate spheres in a density matched polymer solution. The polymer solution was prepared by dissolving 0–700 ppm of polyacrylamide in a mixture of ethyleneglycol and glycerine. The polymer solution did not show appreciable shear thinning. The particle loading was varied from 30 to 55%. The hydrodynamic diffusivity was estimated by measuring the time-dependent viscosity when the suspension was subjected to a circular Couette flow with an air bubble trapped under the rotor of the Couette apparatus. The results show that the dimensionless diffusivity (D/γ˙a ²) of particles in polymer solution is not proportional to shear rate (γ˙), as in the case of a Newtonian fluid, but that it decreases with increasing shear rate. The diffusivity also decreases with increasing polymer concentration. It is suggested that the elongational thickening behaviour and the increased lubrication force due to the first normal stress difference may be responsible for the reduction of diffusivity in the polymer solution. Received: 18 January 2000 Accepted: 6 April 2000     

Bubble cluster formation in shear-thinning inelastic bubbly columns

The mean rise velocity of bubble swarms ascending in shear-thinning fluids was experimentally measured in a rectangular bubble column. Great care was taken to produce nearly mono-dispersed bubble swarms and to use shear-thinning fluids with negligible elastic effects. In this manner, it was possible to isolate the effect of the hydrodynamic interaction between bubbles in the column caused by the thinning behavior of the liquid. It was found that the mean rise velocity of the bubbles was larger than that of an individual bubble, in accordance with previous studies. The magnitude of the swarm velocity was found to be greatly influenced by the appearance of bubble clusters. The bubble clusters, which appeared for certain values of the flow index and bubble diameter, were found to have a very different structure from those observed in Newtonian liquids. Furthermore, it was found that the appearance of clusters produced a dramatic increase of the agitation within the column. A set of conditions was identified for the appearance of bubble clusters in shear-thinning inelastic bubbly columns.     

Interaction between Taylor bubbles rising in stagnant non-Newtonian fluids

The interaction between Taylor bubbles rising in stagnant non-Newtonian solutions was studied. Aqueous solutions of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and polyacrylamide (PAA) polymers were used to study the effect of different rheological properties: shear viscosity and viscoelasticity. The solutions studied covered a range of Reynolds numbers between 10 and 714, and Deborah numbers up to 14. The study was performed with pairs of Taylor bubbles rising in a vertical column (0.032 m internal diameter) filled with stagnant liquid. The velocities of the leading and trailing bubbles were measured by sets of laser diodes/photocells placed along the column. The velocity of the trailing bubble was analysed together with the liquid velocity profile in the wake of a single rising bubble (Particle Image Velocimetry data obtained from the literature). For the less concentrated CMC solutions, with moderate shear viscosity and low viscoelasticity, the interaction between Taylor bubbles was similar to that found in Newtonian fluids. For the most concentrated CMC solution, which has high shear viscosity and moderate viscoelasticity, a negative wake forms behind the Taylor bubbles, inhibiting coalescence since the bubbles maintain a minimum distance of about 1D between them. For the PAA solutions, with moderate shear viscosity but higher viscoelasticity than the CMC solutions, longer wake lengths are seen, which are responsible for trailing bubble acceleration at greater distances from the leading bubble. Also in the PAA solutions, the long time needed for the fluid to recover its initial shear viscosity after the passage of the first bubble makes the fluid less resistant to the trailing bubble flow. Hence, the trailing bubble can travel at a higher velocity than the leading bubble, even at distances above 90D.     

Generalized Solution for 1-D Non-Newtonian Flow in a Porous Domain due to an Instantaneous Mass Injection

Non-Newtonian fluid flow through porous media is of considerable interest in several fields, ranging from environmental sciences to chemical and petroleum engineering. In this article, we consider an infinite porous domain of uniform permeability k and porosity f{\phi} , saturated by a weakly compressible non-Newtonian fluid, and analyze the dynamics of the pressure variation generated within the domain by an instantaneous mass injection in its origin. The pressure is taken initially to be constant in the porous domain. The fluid is described by a rheological power-law model of given consistency index H and flow behavior index n; n, < 1 describes shear-thinning behavior, n > 1 shear-thickening behavior; for n = 1, the Newtonian case is recovered. The law of motion for the fluid is a modified Darcy’s law based on the effective viscosity μ _ef , in turn a function of f, H, n{\phi, H, n} . Coupling the flow law with the mass balance equation yields the nonlinear partial differential equation governing the pressure field; an analytical solution is then derived as a function of a self-similar variable η = rt ^β (the exponent β being a suitable function of n), combining spatial coordinate r and time t. We revisit and expand the work in previous papers by providing a dimensionless general formulation and solution to the problem depending on a geometrical parameter d, valid for plane (d = 1), cylindrical (d = 2), and semi-spherical (d = 3) geometry. When a shear-thinning fluid is considered, the analytical solution exhibits traveling wave characteristics, in variance with Newtonian fluids; the front velocity is proportional to t ^(n-2)/2 in plane geometry, t ^{(2n-3)/(3−n)} in cylindrical geometry, and t ^{(3n-4)/[2(2−n)]} in semi-spherical geometry. To reflect the uncertainty inherent in the value of the problem parameters, we consider selected properties of fluid and matrix as independent random variables with an associated probability distribution. The influence of the uncertain parameters on the front position and the pressure field is investigated via a global sensitivity analysis evaluating the associated Sobol’ indices. The analysis reveals that compressibility coefficient and flow behavior index are the most influential variables affecting the front position; when the excess pressure is considered, compressibility and permeability coefficients contribute most to the total response variance. For both output variables the influence of the uncertainty in the porosity is decidedly lower.     

Generalized flow analysis of non-Newtonian visco-elastic fluid flow through fractal reservoir

Ｆｒａｃｔａｌｇｅｏｍｅｔｒｙｉｓａｐｏｗｅｒｆｕｌｔｏｏｌｔｏｄｅｓｃｒｉｂｅｃｏｍｐｌｅｘｐｈｅｎｏｍｅｎｏｎ．Ｅｓｐｅｃｉａｌｌｙｉｔｉｓａｐｐｒｏｐｒｉａｔｅｔｏｓｃａｌｅｔｈｅｎｏｎｕｎｉｆｏｒｍｉｔｙａｎｄｎｏｎｓｅｑｕｅｎｃｅｏｆｐｏｒｏｕｓｍｅｄｉａ．Ｉｆｔｈｅｍｅｃｈａｎｉｃｓｏｆｆｌｕｉｄｆｌｏｗｔｈｒｏｕｇｈｐｏｒｏｕｓｍｅｄｉａｉｓｓｔｕｄｉｅｄｂｙｕｓｉｎｇｆｒａｃｔａｌ,ｔｈｅｄｉｓｃｅｒｎｉｂｌｅａｎｄｃｏｇｎｉｔｉｖｅａｂｉｌｉｔｙｆｏｒｐｏｒｏｕｓｍｅｄｉａａｎ…     

Bubble stability in a class of non-Newtonian fluids with shear dependent viscosities

Using elementary dynamical systems theory we delineate the locally asymptotically stable, stable, and unstable equilibrium states of a spherical vapor bubble immersed in an unbounded non-Newtonian fluid with shear dependent viscosity; stability results for the equilibrium states of bubbles immersed in a Newtonian fluid are obtained as special cases.     

Cavitation structures formed during the rebound of a sphere from a wetted surface

We use high-speed imaging to observe the dynamics of cavitation, caused by the impact and subsequent rebound of a sphere from a solid surface covered with a thin layer of highly viscous liquid. We note marked qualitative differences between the cavitation structures with increase in viscosity, as well as between Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids. The patterns observed are quite unexpected and intricate, appearing in concentric ring formations around the site of impact. In all cases, we identify a distinct radius from which the primary bubbles emanate. This radius is modelled with a modified form of Hertz contact theory. Within this radius, we show that some fine cavitation structure may exist or that it may be one large cavitation bubble. For the non-Newtonian fluids, we observe foam-like structures extending radially with diminishing bubble sizes with increase in radial position. Whereas for the Newtonian fluids, the opposite trend is observed with increasing bubble size for increasing radial position. Finally, we compare our experimental observations of cavitation to the maximum tension criterion proposed by Joseph (J Fluid Mech 366:367–378, 1998) showing that this provides the lower limit for the onset of cavitation in our experiments.