A Comparative Study of Different CFD-codes for Fluidized Beds

Fluidized beds are a crucial component of modern process industry and chemical engineering. Over the decades, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been playing a key role in the design and optimization of fluidized beds. However, CFD modelling of fluidized beds is not without challenges, partly due to the scarcity, incompleteness, or inconsistency of experimental data for validation. Moreover, CFD models involve many parameters and assumptions that introduce uncertainty and sensitivity in the predictions, even with seemingly identical conditions in different CFD codes. In the current work, we aim to address these intra-code subtleties by comparing results from the open-source software packages MFIX and OpenFOAM, and the commercial software package ANSYS FLUENT to experimental data. The gas-solid flow is simulated with a Eulerian-Eulerian framework, utilizing the kinetic theory of granular flow (KTGF) to determine solid-phase properties. The classical drag-laws of Gidaspow and Syamlal-O’Brien, along with the various available options, have been investigated in detail through a parametric study.