Modeling fixed triangular valve tray hydraulics using computational fluid dynamics

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed for describing the flow patterns and hydraulics of triangular fixed valve tray. The gas and liquid phase, as two interpenetrating phases, were modeled in the Eulerian framework. Based on the clear liquid height obtained by experiments, a new correlation for liquid hold-up was adopted, and the interphase momentum transfer source was also calculated. Several simulations were carried out for a triangular fixed valve tray with varying operational conditions. Velocity distributions, clear liquid height, froth height, and phase hold-up were predicted for various combinations of gas and liquid flow rates, and the results were found to be in reasonable agreement with the experimental data.