Recurrence CFD - a novel approach to simulate multiphase flows with strongly separated time scales

TL;DR

Recurrence CFD introduces a new method that leverages flow recurrence statistics to efficiently simulate multiphase flows with separated time scales, enabling real-time process monitoring and reducing computational costs.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel recurrence-based CFD approach that decouples slow and fast flow dynamics, allowing high-resolution simulations with significantly lower computational effort.

Findings

Accurate tracer distribution matches full CFD results.

Dramatic reduction in computational time.

Applicable to industrial and lab-scale multiphase processes.

Abstract

Classical Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) of long-time processes with strongly separated time scales is computationally extremely demanding if not impossible. Consequently, the state-of-the-art description of such systems is not capable of real-time simulations or online process monitoring. In order to bridge this gap, we propose a new method suitable to decouple slow from fast degrees of freedom in many cases. Based on the recurrence statistics of unsteady flow fields, we deduce a recurrence process which enables the generic representation of pseudo-periodic motion at high spatial and temporal resolution. Based on these fields, passive scalars can be traced by recurrence CFD. While a first, Eulerian Model A solves a passive transport equation in a classical implicit finite-volume environment, a second, Lagrangian Model B propagates fluid particles obeying a stochastic differential equation explicitly. Finally, this new concept is tested by two multiphase processes - a lab scale oscillating bubble column and an industrial scale steelmaking converter. Results of tracer distribution obtained by recurrence CFD are in very good agreement with full CFD simulations, while computational times are dramatically reduced. Actually, recurrence CFD is a promising candidate for online simulations of passive transport processes at full CFD resolution, which opens the door towards improved process monitoring.