CFD modeling of multiphase flow distribution in catalytic packed bed reactors: scale down issues

Flow maldistribution in either a bench-scale or commercial scale packed bed is often responsible for the failure of the scale down unit to mimic the performance of the large reactor. The modeling of multiphase flow in a bench-scale unit is needed for proper interpretation of reaction rate data obtained in such units. Understanding the mechanism of flow maldistribution is the first step to avoiding it. In order to achieve this objective, computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of multiphase flow under steady state and unsteady state conditions in bench-scale cylindrical and rectangular packed beds are presented for the first time. The porosity distribution in packed beds is implemented into CFD simulation by pseudo-randomly assigned cell porosity values within certain constraints. The flow simulation results provide valuable information on velocity, pressure, and phase holdup distribution.

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