On the applicability of the CESE method for two-dimensional CFD simulation of gas-liquid flow in a bubble column

Document Type : Regular Article

Authors

Process Simulation and Control Research Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, 16846 Tehran, Iran

10.22034/ijche.2026.574104.1586
Abstract
The applicability of the space-time conservation element and solution element (CESE) method to the numerical simulation of gas-liquid flow in a bubble column is investigated. A transient two-dimensional Eulerian-Eulerian model is developed for an air-water system operating at a superficial gas velocity of 0.01 m s−1. Under the considered operating conditions, the flow is modeled using a laminar formulation, while mass and heat transfer are neglected. The governing conservation equations are solved using the CESE method on a uniform rectangular mesh. The numerical results are analyzed in terms of overall gas holdup, gas distribution, and gas and liquid velocity fields. The predicted overall gas holdup shows reasonable agreement with the experimental measurement, with a deviation of approximately 9%. A grid-independence analysis further demonstrates that refinement beyond the selected 150 × 114 mesh produces only minor changes in the predicted gas holdup. Within the assumptions and operating conditions considered in this study, the results demonstrate the applicability of the CESE formulation to the numerical simulation of the basic hydrodynamic behavior of gas-liquid bubble-column flows.

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Subjects

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 17 October 2026