Pore-Scale Simulation of the Interaction between a Single Water Droplet and a Hydrophobic Wire Mesh Screen in Diesel
Recently, the trend towards sustainable energy production and pollution control has motivated the increased consumption of ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) or bio-fuels. Such fuels have relatively low surface tension with water and therefore, the separation of water from fuel has become a challenging...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Fluids |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/6/9/319 |
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| author | Omar Elsayed Ralf Kirsch Fabian Krull Sergiy Antonyuk Sebastian Osterroth |
| author_facet | Omar Elsayed Ralf Kirsch Fabian Krull Sergiy Antonyuk Sebastian Osterroth |
| author_sort | Omar Elsayed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recently, the trend towards sustainable energy production and pollution control has motivated the increased consumption of ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) or bio-fuels. Such fuels have relatively low surface tension with water and therefore, the separation of water from fuel has become a challenging problem. The separation process relies on using porous structures for the collection and removal of water droplets. Hence, understanding the interaction between water droplets and the separators is vital. The simplest geometry of a separator is the wire mesh screen, which is used in many modern water–diesel separators. Thus, it is considered here for systematic study. In this work, pore-scale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using OpenFOAM<sup>®</sup> (an open-source C++ toolbox for fluid dynamics simulations) coupled with a new accurate scheme for the computation of the surface tension force. First, two validation test cases were performed and compared to experimental observations in corresponding bubble-point tests. Second, in order to describe the interaction between water droplets and wire mesh screens, the simulations were performed with different parameters: mean diesel velocity, open area ratio, fiber radii, Young–Laplace contact angle, and the droplet radius. New correlations were obtained which describe the average reduction of open surface area (clogging), the pressure drop, and retention criteria. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:41:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c4225b4993e04a65bb4ba69420fe2c81 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2311-5521 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:41:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fluids |
| spelling | doaj.art-c4225b4993e04a65bb4ba69420fe2c812023-11-22T13:01:53ZengMDPI AGFluids2311-55212021-09-016931910.3390/fluids6090319Pore-Scale Simulation of the Interaction between a Single Water Droplet and a Hydrophobic Wire Mesh Screen in DieselOmar Elsayed0Ralf Kirsch1Fabian Krull2Sergiy Antonyuk3Sebastian Osterroth4Department of Flow and Material Simulation, Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM), Fraunhofer-Platz, 1, 67663 Kaiserslautern, GermanyDepartment of Flow and Material Simulation, Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM), Fraunhofer-Platz, 1, 67663 Kaiserslautern, GermanyInstitute of Particle Process Engineering, Technische Univeristät Kaiserslautern, Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße 44, 67663 Kaiserslautern, GermanyInstitute of Particle Process Engineering, Technische Univeristät Kaiserslautern, Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße 44, 67663 Kaiserslautern, GermanyDepartment of Flow and Material Simulation, Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM), Fraunhofer-Platz, 1, 67663 Kaiserslautern, GermanyRecently, the trend towards sustainable energy production and pollution control has motivated the increased consumption of ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) or bio-fuels. Such fuels have relatively low surface tension with water and therefore, the separation of water from fuel has become a challenging problem. The separation process relies on using porous structures for the collection and removal of water droplets. Hence, understanding the interaction between water droplets and the separators is vital. The simplest geometry of a separator is the wire mesh screen, which is used in many modern water–diesel separators. Thus, it is considered here for systematic study. In this work, pore-scale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using OpenFOAM<sup>®</sup> (an open-source C++ toolbox for fluid dynamics simulations) coupled with a new accurate scheme for the computation of the surface tension force. First, two validation test cases were performed and compared to experimental observations in corresponding bubble-point tests. Second, in order to describe the interaction between water droplets and wire mesh screens, the simulations were performed with different parameters: mean diesel velocity, open area ratio, fiber radii, Young–Laplace contact angle, and the droplet radius. New correlations were obtained which describe the average reduction of open surface area (clogging), the pressure drop, and retention criteria.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/6/9/319computational fluid dynamics (CFD)multiphase flowvolume of fluid (VoF)water dropletsliquid–liquid separationpore-scale simulations |
| spellingShingle | Omar Elsayed Ralf Kirsch Fabian Krull Sergiy Antonyuk Sebastian Osterroth Pore-Scale Simulation of the Interaction between a Single Water Droplet and a Hydrophobic Wire Mesh Screen in Diesel Fluids computational fluid dynamics (CFD) multiphase flow volume of fluid (VoF) water droplets liquid–liquid separation pore-scale simulations |
| title | Pore-Scale Simulation of the Interaction between a Single Water Droplet and a Hydrophobic Wire Mesh Screen in Diesel |
| title_full | Pore-Scale Simulation of the Interaction between a Single Water Droplet and a Hydrophobic Wire Mesh Screen in Diesel |
| title_fullStr | Pore-Scale Simulation of the Interaction between a Single Water Droplet and a Hydrophobic Wire Mesh Screen in Diesel |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pore-Scale Simulation of the Interaction between a Single Water Droplet and a Hydrophobic Wire Mesh Screen in Diesel |
| title_short | Pore-Scale Simulation of the Interaction between a Single Water Droplet and a Hydrophobic Wire Mesh Screen in Diesel |
| title_sort | pore scale simulation of the interaction between a single water droplet and a hydrophobic wire mesh screen in diesel |
| topic | computational fluid dynamics (CFD) multiphase flow volume of fluid (VoF) water droplets liquid–liquid separation pore-scale simulations |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5521/6/9/319 |
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