Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Tampere University of Technology, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

CFD simulations were used to study single phase and multiphase flows through structured packing. Simulations utilizing a high fidelity, digital copy of a packing element were validated against experimental results for both single phase and multiphase flows. Single phase simulations were carried out on a variety of periodic packing elements to examine the impact of packing channel geometry on pressure drop. Multiphase simulations on periodic elements were used to examine the effect of hydrodynamic properties and boundary conditions. Single-phase simulations of nitrogen flow through the high fidelity geometry produced via X-ray CT scans showed average deviations less than 15% when compared to experimental measurements. This error was reduced to 7% when a mesh utilizing prism layers to accurately resolve the boundary layer was used. With a validated model for single phase flow, the application of CFD to packing design was investigated on periodic geometries with varied packing parameters (e.g. channel corrugation angle and channel side length). It was found that current industrial packings have channel geometries maximizing pressure drop, indicating some degree of optimization around channel geometry is possible depending on separation needs. Multiphase simulations using the Volume of Fluid model examined the effects of liquid density, viscosity, surface tension, and contact angle on small-scale packing geometries. Contact angle had the most pronounced influence on predicted wetting, and simulations demonstrated that using experimentally determined static contact angles was not an appropriate choice for the simulation contact angle. The predicted influence of surface tension qualitatively matched experimental data for wetted area. Liquid viscosity and density also demonstrated qualitative agreement with semi-empirical models derived from experimental data. Experimental data collected via absorption of CO2 into 0.1 mol/L NaOH were compared to simulation predictions using a geometry generated via X-ray CT scans. Wetted area predictions matched experimental data best when a fully wetting static contact angle (0°) was used, yielding simulated results 3.4% lower than experimental data on average. Irrigated pressure drop and holdup predictions were significantly higher than experimental data. / text

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The requirement of bringing an outside coolant source to run through the seals of a multiphase pump has always been a costly endeavor. Using a separator to extract liquid from the exhaust of the pump to use as a coolant is often more expensive than providing an outside source of coolant. This research proposes a cost effective separator design which efficiently separates the liquid from gas, while maintaining a high enough residence time to remove any gas entrainment, and separates only the seal flush requirement by letting any excess liquids carryover with the gas. Conventional multiphase separators operate by substantially decreasing the velocity of the mixture, which reduces the drag force put forth by the gasses and allows gravity to force the liquids downward. Gas-Liquid Cylindrical Cyclones (GLCCs) operate by increasing the velocity of the mixture, using radial force to separate liquids and gasses. This technique requires a smaller diameter vessel to achieve separation. The separator in this research uses gravity as the separation force while maintaining a pipe diameter similar to the GLCC. This way, only standard pipe and pipe fittings are used. The effectiveness of this design is measured two ways. First, efficiency is studied at varying gas volume fractions (GVFs), velocities, pressures, and pipe diameters. Second, the length of air entrainment (LAE) is measured at the same varying conditions. The efficiency and air entrainment studies provide design recommendations to accommodate seal flush requirements and size limitations. The following investigation also offers further areas of research to improve the understanding and modeling of using standard pipe and pipe fittings to create more effective design equations.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri--Rolla, 2007. / Vita. The entire thesis text is included in file. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed March 25, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-79).

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, November, 2001. / Title from PDF t.p.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, June, 2000. / Title from PDF t.p.