Modelling and Simulation of Single Phase Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Packed Beds using COMSOL Multiphysics

S. Sachdev[1], S. Pareek[1], B. Mahadevan[1], A. Deshpande[1]
[1]Department of Chemical Engineering, BITS Pilani Goa Campus, Zuarinagar, Goa, India
Published in 2012

Computational fluid dynamics has emerged as an advanced tool for studying detailed behavior of fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in many chemical engineering applications like packed beds. Packed beds play an important role in various chemical industries. Hence understanding the fluid flow behavior and temperature variation in different sections of packed bed is essential. Geometric complexities of packed beds have prevented detailed modeling of their hydrodynamics. With the help of modern CFD codes and the growth of computer power, it is now feasible to obtain detailed flow fields and temperature profiles in packed beds. By using COMSOL Multiphysics for modeling and simulation of packed beds, detailed description of flow behavior and heat transfer within the bed can be established.