TN1037 : Two-phase numerical analysis of bubble rise and interaction in the flotation column
Thesis > Central Library of Shahrood University > Mining, Petroleum & Geophysics Engineering > PhD > 2021
Authors:
[Author], Mohammad Karamoozian[Supervisor], [Advisor]
Abstarct: Hydrodynamic components in column flotation play an important role in process performance. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) as a numerical method can help analyze and predict flow components. In the present work, the bubble rise in the flotation column has been investigated by the two-phase CFD simulation method. The two-phase simulations have been done using the Volume Of Fluid (VOF) model in ANSYS® Fluent® software. The computational domain was a square cross-section column with a width of 0.1 m and a height of 1 m which air was interred as a single bubble from the lower part of the column by an internal sparger. A series of experimental tests have been also performed and image processing has been used to measure and record the hydrodynamic components such as inlet airflow, bubble diameter, bubble rise velocity, and gas holdup. The numerical results have been validated using the values obtained for the bubble rise velocity. The comparison of the pattern of bubble rise profile and the values of dimensionless numbers in experimental tests with the other’s investigation confirms the validity of the experimental results. Also, a comparison of the simulation and the experimental results have been confirmed that CFD can predict the bubble rise velocity profile and its value in the flotation column less than 5% relative to the experimental values. The bubble shape and its trajectory while rising in the column were also considered and the results showed that the model which used in the simulation can well predict the hydrodynamics of the bubble rise in the column. Comparison of rising velocity profiles for bubbles of different sizes also showed that the larger bubbles reach maximum velocity faster than small bubbles, while the maximum velocity decreases with increasing bubble diameter. Simulations were performed for the bubble with three diameters of 1.92, 2.56, and 3.23 mm to investigate the effect of bubble diameter on the bubble rise trajectory. The investigations have been shown that as the bubble diameter increases, the velocity decreases and the bubble rises in a more zigzag direction as a result of two counter-rotating trailing vortices behind the rising bubble. Finally, the shape and rising behavior of the horizontally arranged twin bubbles has been studied. According to the results, when two bubbles rise side by side, their horizontal velocity changes in the simple harmonic law; there is a cyclical process of two bubbles repeatedly attracted to and bounced against each other, rather than at a constant distance between each other. It is considered that the interaction between the bubbles is mainly influenced by the changes of the flow field due to vortex counteraction and wake merging effects. Expansion of studies in this work and applying their results in setting the hydrodynamic parameters of the bubble, such as inlet airflow and inlet bubble rate in the flotation process can improve the process and increase its efficiency.
Keywords:
#flotation column #bubble rise velocity #bubble interaction #CFD simulation #Multiphase simulation. Keeping place: Central Library of Shahrood University
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