Numerical Simulation of Two-phase Flow in Representative Elements of Structured Packings

Abstract Development of column internals with high separation efficiency requires a detailed knowledge on the fluid dynamics. In this work, gas-liquid flow in structured packings was investigated with the aid of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The simulations were carried out for representative elements of structured packings and validated with the data from literature. Liquid holdup and interfacial area could be estimated via post-processing. Furthermore, the simulations enabled the visualisation of the liquid flow in structured packings and revealed liquid accumulation at contact points of two packing layers, which substantially influences liquid holdup and interfacial area.