MULTIPHASE
This module introduced the major approaches used to simulate mixtures of gas, liquid, and solid phases, and how their interactions shape flow behavior. It covered the physical foundations of multiphase transport, the limitations of each modeling strategy, and the practical considerations involved in capturing mass, momentum, and energy exchange between phases
The coursework moved through multiple modeling frameworks:
Mixture and Eulerian models: early assignments compared shared-field (Mixture) and fully separated (Eulerian) formulations. Tasks included predicting slip velocity, phase volume fraction distribution, and pressure gradients, highlighting when interphase drag and turbulence coupling begin to dominate the solution.
Particle tracking – Discrete Phase Model (DPM): simulations of particle trajectories in 2D channels and U-turn geometries explored drag laws, turbulent dispersion, lift forces such as Tomiyama, and virtual mass effects. Comparing laminar and turbulent carriers showed how strongly turbulence alters particle deposition and residence time.
Break-up and coalescence: bubble and droplet transport exercises introduced population balance ideas through simplified breakup mechanisms. Results showed how inlet conditions, Weber number criteria, and turbulence intensity influence bubble size distribution.
Erosion modeling: the later exercises combined DPM with erosion correlations to evaluate wall wear patterns in bends and pipe transitions. Differences between drag models and turbulence treatments became clear when compared across several test cases.
Across these projects, the module showed that multiphase modeling requires balancing accuracy with computational cost. Choosing between Mixture, Eulerian, or DPM approaches depends heavily on flow regime, particle loading, and the physical mechanisms that dominate a given problem.
This module provided practical experience with the full spectrum of multiphase methods used in engineering. It strengthened my ability to select appropriate models, interpret interphase forces, and evaluate transport processes in complex geometries - essential skills for applications like combustion, filtration, erosion prediction, and industrial gas–liquid systems