Fluid dynamics in multiphase distillation processes in packed towers

In order to design packed columns for multiphase operation it is necessary to include reliable data on the flow behavior in the model. Since experiments inside packings are very difficult to perform, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are considered to be a sensible approach as numerical experiments. To obtain reliable results validation is inevitable. We present the validation of two- and three-phase film flow under transient conditions. This application is not abundant in literature. Numerical results are compared with data from own experiments. The usability of a VOF-like code for such applications is shown. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.