Fluid dynamic characterisation of porous solids in catalytic fixed-bed reactors

3D numerical simulations of structured open-cell foams, more precisely the tetrakaidecahedron geometry (Kelvin cell geometry) are presented. The velocity and pressure field for a single cell with varied surface roughness and the whole reactor with the same pore size are calculated in order to show the influence of the surface roughness regarding the pressure drop and the influence of the length of the whole reactor regarding the velocity development, respectively. The numerical results are compared using dimensionless numbers such as Reynolds number, Euler number and friction factor.

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► Simulation of open cell metal foam with a tetrakaidecahedron model.
► Simulation of a single cell and the whole reactor.
► Velocity development along the length of a whole reactor.
► Influence of surface roughness due to flow behaviour.