(109f) Advanced Analysis of Structured Packing Via Computational Fluid Dynamics

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) refers to the use software packages to numerically solve the equations of change and continuity in a variety of situations. CFD is an efficient and effective method of studying flow. With regards to chemical separations, CFD allows the researcher to study the effects of a wide variety of liquid and vapor chemical properties without the need to purchase and store large quantities of expensive and potentially hazardous chemicals. Similarly, a wide range of vapor and liquid flow rates can be studied over a range of packing designs without the need to purchase, construct, or maintain pumps, columns or the associated piping. This flexibility results in a greater range of information than could be obtained with traditional experimentation. While several investigations have sought to model structured packing via CFD, computational limitations have prevented direct macroscopic modeling. Instead, flow through minor subsets of packing geometry has been modeled. This method does not allow for the study of vapor/liquid distribution, packing optimization, or predictive design. Recent advances in multi-core processors and distributed computing have made macroscopic modeling possible. The authors' are uniquely positioned to explore CFD simulation as it applies to industrial separations. Ongoing collaboration with the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) provides access to cutting edge computational technology and CFD expertise while assistance from the NSF supported University of Texas Computed Tomography (UTCT) facility allowed the creation of geometry from computed tomography scans. The creation of geometry from CT scan yielded unprecedented accuracy while the TACC high performance computing system allowed simulation of macroscale geometries not yet studied. Such simulation will permit many existing and new packing designs to be evaluated with a broad range of fluid and liquid properties. This will result in more efficient packing designs which reduce the energy intensity of consumer chemical and fuel production.