Finite element modelling of concentration profiles in flow domains with curved porous boundaries

Domains containing porous boundaries are a feature of important processes such as crossflow filtration commonly used in a variety of industries ranging from medical to oil and gas to water treatment. Prediction of concentration profiles of solids being carried by the fluid stream in these types of flow domains is a necessary step in the design of efficient systems used in such operations. The novel approach of the present paper is shown to provide a very convenient technique for simulating concentration profiles within geometrically complex domains. The main feature of this approach is the construction of a very simple technique for the handling of concentration boundary conditions along the porous walls. Therefore this model provides a necessary and useful step towards the development of a fast engineering technique for the quantitative analysis of crossflow filters. The developed algorithm is based on the Streamline Upwind Petrov Galerkin finite element scheme (SUPG) for the solution of flow and convective dispersion equations in two dimensional domains with solid and porous walls. Using iterative algorithms the model can take into account process dependent changes of physical parameters that inevitably occur as a portion of the fluid seeps through the porous wall in these domains. The numerical tests prove the stability of the developed scheme and show that the model can produce results that are consistent with theoretical considerations. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.