Effect of Particle Aspect Ratio and Shape on the Particle-Scale Dynamics of Gas-Liquid Flow through Packed Beds

Packed beds are widely used to perform solid-catalyzedgas-liquidreactions and gas cleanup processes. In the present work, we simulatedgas-liquid flow through realistic 3D particle-resolved domainsconsisting of cylindrical particles of varying aspect ratio (h = 1-5) and different particle shapes (Raschig ring,trilobe, daisy, and sphere) using the volume-of-fluid method. Withan increase in h, we found that the number fractionof laterally oriented particles decreases and length of elongatedvoid-throats increases. Further, we found that liquid preferentiallyflows over surface of laterally oriented particles and through elongatedvoid-throats. The combined effect of h, orientationdistribution, and elongated void-throats results in improved hydrodynamicperformance (liquid holdup, wetting efficiency, interfacial area,and liquid distribution) with an increase in h. Wealso found that the hydrodynamic performance of trilobe- and daisy-shapedparticles is better than cylindrical particles in terms of interfacialarea due to preferential flow of liquid through the grooves on externallyshaped particles.