Experimental and numerical investigation of single-phase hydrodynamics in glass sponges by means of combined µPIV measurements and CFD simulation

Journal
Chemical engineering science  
Volume
160
Start Page
131
End Page
143
Citation
Chemical Engineering Science (160): 131-143 (2017-03-16)
Publisher DOI
10.1016/j.ces.2016.11.027
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84999017216
Publisher
Elsevier Science
The following paper presents a combined experimental and numerical approach to analyze single-phase hydrodynamics inside porous SiO2 glass sponges (=open-cell foams). For this purpose, a µPIV method has been applied to visualize instantaneous velocity fields of refractive index-matched aqueous Dimethyl sulfoxide (=DMSO) solution flow through the voids of the complex, irregular structure. Results have been recorded for a superficial flow velocity range from 0.02 to 0.38 m/s (corresponding to Reynolds number values between 30 and 650), covering – according to available classifications in literature – all distinguished flow regimes inside such porous systems. µPIV data is used to substantiate the existence of different flow regimes in irregular porous media, to detect their particular flow characteristics and to track the transition points between the prevailing flow regimes. Furthermore, µPIV data has been time-averaged and compared to corresponding numerical results of a laminar, steady-state CFD modelling approach, which is based on reconstructions of the real sponge geometry gained from X-ray tomographic scans of the structure. Experimental and numerical results of pore-scale velocity fields have been compared at three different measurement positions and show good agreement in terms of observed flow structure and direction as well as magnitude of the respective mean velocity fields.
Subjects
CFD
Glass sponges
Micro-PIV
Open-cell foam
Pore-scale velocity field
Porous media
DDC Class
530: Physik
620: Ingenieurwissenschaften
More Funding Information
The authors would like to thank the Helmholtz Foundation (Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft) for providing financial support within the frame of the Helmholtz Energy Alliance ‘Energy-efficient chemical multi-phase processes’ (HA-E-0004). They would also like to thank the German Research Foundation (DFG) for funding the second phase of the Research Group FOR 583 ‘Solid Sponge - Application of monolithic
network structures in process engineering’ to provide the SiO2 glass sponge samples investigated in this study.