CFD Simulation of High Gas Flow Rate in Large-Scale Rotating Packed Beds

Rotating packed beds (RPBs) have recently gained significant attention from researchers as a promising approach to intensify the performance of traditional packed columns. Although numerous lab-scale experimental and numerical studies on RPBs are available in the literature, there is a scarcity of operational data for large-scale RPBs. In this research, high gas flow rates in large-scale RPBs are investigated using CFD simulation to predict the dry pressure drop in a rotating bed for industrial applications. A 2D geometry with periodic boundary condition was applied to simulate the turbulent gas flow in a rotating packed bed. The simulation results offer valuable insights into the gas flow dynamics within rotating beds, highlighting the pressure and velocity variations that occur at high rotational speeds. A semiempirical correlation was able of well reproduce the findings of this research. This correlation can be utilized to predict the pressure drop in large-scale RPBs under operating conditions similar to those studied in this research.