Computational fluid dynamics simulation of the homogeneous flow regime in a large-scale bubble column

Bubble column reactors are widely used in various industrial applications, yet their characterisation at both global and local scales remains highly complex. This study presents a CFD Eulerian multi-fluid approach to model the hydrodynamics of large-scale bubble columns, focusing on the homogeneous flow regime. Transient 3D simulations were performed using the commercial software ANSYS Fluent 2023 R2, assuming a fixed mono- or polydispersed bubble size distribution to represent the dispersed gas phase. The results were thoroughly analysed and the discrepancies between the numerical results and the experimental data were discussed, highlighting areas for future improvement.