Nr. I04 - Dispersed multiphase flow

Tien jaar geleden is het Industrial Partnership Programme (IPP) Gedispergeerde Meerfasestroming ontwikkeld en gestart. Het programma was gericht op het creëren van meer synergie tussen de verschillende onderzoeksgroepen in Nederland en het bereiken van een effectiever gebruik van de in ons land aanwezige expertise, menskracht, apparatuur en intellect op het gebied van de meerfasestroming. Oftewel, hoe krijgen we in Nederland het wetenschapsgebied van de gedispergeerde meerfasestroming beter op de kaart. De resultaten van een decennium onderzoek staan beschreven in het eindverslag van het programma dat op 19 juni 2009 is gepresenteerd op de workshop Changing Flows. U vindt het rechts op deze pagina, naast gedetailleerde projectinformatie. Veel leesplezier.
Marijn van Warmoeskerken, programmaleider Gedispergeerde Meerfasestroming.

Approved Industrial Partnership Programme

Objectives

To study issues raised both for the multiphase flow fundamentals and for the physics of in­dustrial multiphase flow. Research initiated within the framework of this programme should not only be interesting from a scientific point-of-view, but should also contribute to resolve scale‑up from flow regimes observed in the laboratory to the different, time dependent flow regimes that may occur in complex, large size equipment. Industry can indicate where their multiphase flow technology needs are most pressing.
The three research themes are:

1. Multiphase flow fundamentals
   Hydrodynamics of bubbles, drops and particles, their mutual interaction and two-way coupling with the structure of turbulent flow, with the aim of improving scale up of multiphase reactors.
2. Physics of industrial multiphase flow
   Multiphase flow in combination with non-hydrodynamic phenomena, such as heat transfer, phase change and chemical reactions.
3. Modelling and simulations
   Prediction of dispersion, segregation, contact area and residence time of bubbles, drops and particles in multiphase processes using advanced models in simulation codes.

Background, relevance and implementation

Projects in the first research theme will deliver, fundamentally new knowledge of the inter­action between bubbles, drops or particles and the structure of turbulent flow. Although knowledge generated in fundamental physics usually is not directly applicable in industry, for projects to be granted within the framework of this programme, researchers should be able to convincingly indicate that expected results can be implemented in useful ways; most of the time this will be in the form of contributions to new descriptions, models or experimental data that serve as a basis for new or improved simulation codes. At the start of the programme, it should be clear that also this part of the research is directed towards industrial applications, such as scale‑up.

Results generated in projects, as defined by the second research theme, may have more tangible applications in industry because of the specific phenomena studied. Although the transfer of knowledge will often take place in the way described above, it is likely that the particular industry for which the results might be of use can be indicated.
Target size of this eight-year research programme is € 7 million when summed over all pro­jects administered by FOM and STW. A research programme having a size much smaller than this can not have the intended impact, nor will have sufficient means to systematically attack the multitude of problems to be solved in both the multiphase flow fundamentals and the physics of industrial multiphase flows.
A financial contribution to two positions for assistant-professors ('UD-dakpan') has been granted to the groups of Prof.dr. D. Lohse and Prof.dr.ir. H.E.A. van den Akker for a period of five years, in order to maintain and intensify the research effort in bubbly flows at Twente University and Delft University of Technology.

The research programme is managed by a dedicated programme committee, consisting of researchers both from academia and from industry. Members of the committee should have a broad overview and knowledge of the field and be acquainted with means to transfer scientific results to industry. For the day-to-day decision making, a programme manager has been appointed. The programme manager is chair to the programme committee.

Remarks

The total budget of this programme is € 6.5 million. Out of the projected budget, € 4.8 million is administered by FOM, while an estimated € 2 million is administered by STW.