Spatial and Temporal Validation of a CFD Model Using Residence Time Distribution Test in a Tubular Reactor

Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) has been increasingly exploited for the design and optimization of (bio)chemical processes. Validation is a crucial part of any modeling application. In CFD, when validation is done, complex and expensive techniques are normally employed. The aim of this study was to test the capability of the CFD model to represent a residence time distribution (RTD) test in a temporal and spatial fashion inside a reactor. The RTD tests were carried out in a tubular reactor operated in continuous mode, with and without the presence of artificial biomass. Two hydraulic retention times of 7.2 and 13 h and superficial velocities 0.65, 0.6, 1.3, and 1.1 m h−1 were evaluated. As a tracer, an aqueous solution of methylene blue was used. The CFD model was implemented in ANSYS Fluent, and to solve the equations system, the SIMPLE scheme and second-order discretization methods were selected. The proposed CFD model that represents the reactor was able to predict the spatial and temporal distribution of the tracer injected in the reactor. The main disagreements between the simulations and the experimental results were observed, especially in the first 50 min of the RTD, caused by the different error sources, associated to the manual execution of the triplicates, as well as some channeling or tracer by-pass that cannot be predicted by the CFD model. The CFD model performed better as the time of the experiment elapsed for all the sampling ports. A validation methodology based on an RTD by sampling at different reactor positions can be employed as a simple way to validate CFD models.