Euler multiphase
Eulerian multiphase flow in OpenFOAM: bubbles, particles and fluidised beds
Set up multiphase flow where every phase is an interpenetrating continuum — bubble columns, fluidised beds and dispersed systems too numerous to track individually.
What it is
Each phase gets its own set of equations and occupies a fraction of every cell, exchanging momentum and heat with the others. This is the model when the dispersed phase is millions of bubbles or particles rather than one interface, which makes it a different approach from VoF rather than a refinement of it.
What the application sets up
- Each phase with its own properties and initial volume fraction
- An interfacial momentum model — drag, lift and turbulent dispersion
- Phase-specific inlet conditions including incoming fractions
- Bounded solution controls, since fractions escaping [0,1] is the usual failure
- Per-phase output, so each phase can be read on its own
Typical uses
- Bubble columns and aerated reactors
- Fluidised beds in process and energy plant
- Gas-liquid contacting and separation vessels
- Dispersed flows too dense for particle tracking
Industries
Sectors where this analysis is routinely asked for.
- Chemical & process
- Water treatment
- Energy
- Metallurgy
What comes out
- Phase fraction fields
- Gas holdup and mixing time
- Interphase transfer rates
- Regime maps across operating points
OpenFOAM solvers
multiphaseEulerFoam
Selected and configured for you from the analysis type. You can still see every dictionary the application writes.
In every tier
This analysis type is in the free build. The free tier limits mesh size to 250,000 cells and solving to one core — not which physics you may use.
On accuracy, plainly.