CFD modeling of liquid–solid fluidization: Effect of drag correlation and added mass force

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been widely used to study the hydrodynamics of gas–solid fluidization; however, its applications in liquid–solid fluidization are relatively rare. In this study, CFD simulations of a liquid–solid fluidized bed are carried out, focusing on the effect of drag correlation and added mass force on the hydrodynamics of liquid–solid fluidization. It is shown that drag correlation has a significant effect on the simulation results and the correlation proposed by Beetstra et al. (2007) gives the best agreement with experimental data. We further show that the added mass force does play an important role in CFD simulation of liquid–solid fluidization, and therefore should not be ignored in CFD simulations.

Graphical abstractCFD simulations of a liquid–solid fluidized bed are carried out, showing that drag correlation proposed by Beetstra et al. (2007) gives the best agreement with experimental data, and the added mass force plays an important role in CFD simulation of liquid–solid fluidization.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide