BK1-12 Three-Dimensional CFD Simulations of Kettle Reboilers
Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of experimental kettle reboiler slices from the literature, as well as from the HTRI kettle reboiler, allow examination of fluid flow behavior on a fine spatial scale—significantly beyond the resolution of available experimental measurements. Interestingly, our simulations of kettle slices yield recirculation ratios that agree well with the one-dimensional HTRI Circulation Boiling Model (CBM). By interrogating averaged quantities on horizontal planes between tuberows, we show that a drift-flux two-phase model predicts the vapor volume fraction quite well. For a single operating condition of the HTRI kettle reboiler, the simulation indicated a recirculation ratio of 0.5, lending support to the inclusion of a bypass model in the Xist® calculation engine. Moreover, the entrainment ratio in the exit flow closely matched the experimental result.