Overview

The simulation of gas-liquid bubbly flows is of paramount importance in chemical engineering as many chemical processes (i.e. oxidation, hydrogenation, fermentation, ...) involve such systems. One interesting framework is offered by the coupling of Population Balance Models (PBM) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), which in the context of the two-fluid and multi-fluid models represent one of the few affordable computational tools for the simulation of industrially-relevant systems.

This framework, although extremely powerful, suffers from the uncertainty associated with the numerous modelling assumptions, regarding the calculation of inter facial forces (ie drag, lift, virtual mass and wall lubrication forces) and bubble coalescence and breakage rates. The exercise of matching experimental data, for a wide range of geometries and operating conditions, often leaves the modeler with the impression that the selection of the combination of modelling assumptions and of the unknown model parameters is more an art than real science!

In this webinar we will review the work done in our research group and others by considering experimental data collected over the years on homogeneous and heterogeneous bubble columns and stirred tanks. We will critically analyse the performance of the modelling framework and we will eventually try to address the question: "Do we have a baseline model for the simulation of gas-liquid bubbly flows?”.

Presenter

Professor Daniele Marchisio, Politecnico di Torino

Prof Daniele Marchisio graduated in Chemical Engineering cum laude in 1997 at Politecnico di Torino (Torino, Italy) and obtained his PhD from the same university in 2001 defending a thesis titled: "Precipitation in turbulent fluids". The doctorate dissertation was carried out in collaboration with Iowa State University (Ames, IA, USA) and with the Laboratoires des Sciences du Genie Chimique CNRS-ENSIC (Nancy, France).

From 2001 to 2003 he worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Iowa State University with Prof. Rodney Fox and until April 2004 as a visiting scientist at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (Zürich, Switzerland) with Prof. Massimo Morbidelli, he then became Assistant Professor at Politecnico di Torino. Daniele Marchisio was promoted to Associate Professor in 2010 and to Full Professor in 2016. He has held visiting professorships at University College London (London, UK) from April 2007 to August 2007, in March and July 2008, CSIRO (Melbourne, Australia) from December 2012 to February 2013 and the Beijing University of Chemical Technology from December 2016.

His research activity focuses on the development and experimental validation of multi scale computational models for poly-disperse particulate and multi phase systems with application to precipitation and crystallization processes, formation and evolution of nano-particles in combustion processes, bubble column and gas-liquid stirrer tank reactors, turbulent liquid-liquid dispersion's and polymer processing. He is a referee for the most important international journals of his field of research and Associate Editor for the Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. He has authored 140 papers published on international journals, edited a volume titled "Multi-phase reacting flows: modelling and simulation" (Springer Verlag, 2007) and co-authored (with Prof. Rodney Fox) a book titled “Computational Models for Poly-disperse Particulate and Multi-phase Systems” (Cambridge University Press, 2013).

Time

09:00—10:00 GMT.

Format

A one-hour online session: 40 minutes' presentation + 20 minutes' Q&A.

Software

The presentation will be delivered via GoToWebinar®. 
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You are advised to join the webinar at least ten minutes before the scheduled start time, to allow for your computer to connect.

Webinar archive

This webinar is free of charge and open to all to attend, but if you wish to access the slides and a recording to replay on demand then you'll need to be a member of the Fluid Mixing Processes Special Interest Group.

If you're interested in giving an online presentation to our international community of chemical engineers, we'd like to hear from you. Please email our special interest groups support team with information on yourself and your proposed talk.