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19th December 2011

OpenFOAM 2.1.0: Multiphase Modelling

Multiphase interface-capturing

The multiphaseInterFoam solver, for interface-capturing for systems with 3 phases or more, now uses the new multiphase MULES functionality to guarantee that all phase fractions are bounded and sum to 1. The updated solver is significantly more stable and more accurate than in earlier versions of OpenFOAM, making it an effective solver over a far broader range of applications.

Source code

  • multiphaseInterFoam solver
    $FOAM_SOLVERS/multiphase/multiphaseInterFoam

Example(s)

  • 4-phase dam break
    $FOAM_TUTORIALS/multiphase/multiphaseInterFoam/damBreak4phase

Compressible two phase Euler solver

A new solver, compressibleTwoPhaseEulerFoam, has been developed for 2 compressible fluid phases where one phase is dispersed, e.g. gas bubbles in a liquid. Developed from twoPhaseEulerFoam, the new solver is momentum conservative, includes heat transfer, and supports compressibility effects and the effect of pressure changes on bubble size.

Source code

  • compressibleTwoPhaseEulerFoam solver
    $FOAM_SOLVERS/multiphase/compressibleTwoPhaseEulerFoam

Example(s)

  • Fluidised bed
    $FOAM_TUTORIALS/multiphase/compressibleTwoPhaseEulerFoam/fluidisedBed

Multiphase Euler solver

Version 2.1.0 of OpenFOAM includes a preliminary release of a new multiphaseEulerFoam solver to simulate any number of incompressible phases that may be dispersed or resolved. Simulation of dispersed phases uses drag and virtual mass models, whereas the resolved phases use the interface compression and surface-tension models of the volume of fluid method.

This solver offers an unprecedented degree of freedom and flexibility in multiphase simulation and provides a framework for further development including the addition of compressibility effects and other phase and interface-based models.

multiphaseEulerFoam_damBreak4phase_alphas_0The following images show results from a 2D simulation of 3 liquid columns (yellow, turquoise and blue) collapsing under gravity in the presence of an air phase (red). The initial state is shown on the left. The image below left shows the state of the liquid phases after a certain time when simulated using multiphaseInterFoam. The image below right shows the solution at the same time simulated with multiphaseEulerFoam where dispersion occurs between the liquid phases. As expected, the interfaces between the liquid phases (blue-yellow, blue-turquoise) are more diffuse in the multiphaseEulerFoam simulation than in the pure VoF simulation of multiphaseInterFoam.

multiphaseInterFoam_damBreak4phase_alphas
multiphaseEulerFoam_damBreak4phase_alphas

Source code

  • multiphaseEulerFoam solver
    $FOAM_SOLVERS/multiphase/multiphaseEulerFoam

Example(s)

  • Bubble column
    $FOAM_TUTORIALS/multiphase/multiphaseEulerFoam/bubbleColumn
  • 4-phase dam break
    $FOAM_TUTORIALS/multiphase/multiphaseInterFoam/damBreak4phase