A two-phase fluid model of crystal settling under variable gravity

Abstract

A two-phase fluid model of crystal particle motion in a liquid is presented. The model includes a liquid and a solid phase as continua and forces due to pressure, viscous stresses, variable gravity and fluid drag. The model equations are solved using a finite element segregated solution procedure. The numerical solutions are stabilized using concepts from the flux-corrected transport scheme. Results from two and three-dimensional simulations show the complex velocity field induced by the motion of the particles. Variable gravity and fluid viscosity affect the settling velocity and the morphology of the sedimentation region formed at the bottom of the reactor. © 1999 American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics. All Rights Reserved.