ECoMMFiT - Industrial Applications

Fluid flow, which can occur combined with heat and/or mass transfer is a key phenomenon in many industrial and technological processes. We analyze and reveal the effects of the flow in the heat and/or mass transfer rates using experiments, simulation and theoretical approaches. This knowledge is essential to uncover the relevant mechanisms at play and optimize the performance of the processes occurring in large-scale industrial equipment as well as in microfluidic devices. We combine fundamental studies with practical applications.

Part of the research carried out in this field is done under contracts with chemical and technological companies that are interested in solving real problems associated with flow and transport phenomena such as mixing, elimination of hot spots, increase of the reaction rate and product quality or energy savings to cite a few.

Some of the practical problems that can be analyzed by the ECoMMFiT are:

Examples of industrial projects

  • Flow modeling and numerical simulations in flash process lines
  • CFD simulation of a gas flow drops into a process line
  • Forming with fiber simulation
  • Study of the influence of graphite in the tendency to pressure excess in the inside atmosphere of the drawer of Vandellos I
  • Modelling and numerical simulation of reactive flow in autoclave reactors
  • Modeling and numerical simulation of mixing processes in a polyols plant
  • Modeling of power electronic devices

Team

  • Francesc Xavier Grau
  • Josep Anton Ferré
  • Youssef Stiriba
  • Jordi Pallarès
  • Anton Vernet
  • Ildefonso Cuesta
  • Clara Salueña
  • Ferran Gisbert
  • Manuel Martínez
  • Sylvana V. Varela
  • Mojtaba Goraki Fard
  • Joshua David Selvaraj
  • Paolo Sassi
  • Mohammadjavad Norouzi

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Related publications

1. Flows with chemical reaction/Chemical reactors

  • Sancho, I.; Varela, S.; Vernet, A.; Pallarès, J., 2016, Characterization of the reacting laminar flow in a cylindrical cavity with a rotating endwall using numerical simulations and a combined PIV/PLIF technique, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 93:155-166 Abstract
  • Martínez M.; Pallarès J.; López A.; García M. A.; Grau F. X. , 2014, Study of the effect of the wall on the distribution of an isothermal two-phase flow in a hydrodesulfurization reactor, Chemical Engineering Communications Vol. 201 pp.1555-1567 Abstract
  • Inglés X.; Pallarès J.; Larre M. T.; Méndez L.; Grau F. X. , M, 2013, Experimental and numerical study of turbulent mixing in a model of a polymerization reactor ,Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Vol. 19 pp.1251-1256 Abstract
  • Sancho I.; Fabregat A.; Pallarès J.; Vernet A. , M, 2013, Macro- and micromixing in a plane turbulent channel flow with a second-order chemical reaction ,Computers & Fluids, Vol. 88 pp.156-164 Abstract
  • Martínez M.; Pallarès J.; López J.; López A.; Albertos F.; García M. A.; Cuesta I.; Grau F.X. , 2012, Numerical simulation of the liquid dispersion in a trickle-bed reactor, Chemical Engineering Science, Vol. 76 pp.49-57 Abstract
  • Fabregat, A.; Pallarès, J.; Cuesta, I.; Grau, F.X. , 2010, Numerical simulations of a second-order chemical reaction in a plane turbulent channel flow, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 53 pp.4248-4263 Abstract

2. Bioreactors / water treatment

  • Hakizimana, J.N., Gourich, B., Chafi, M., Stiriba, Y., Vial, Ch., Drogui, P., Naja, J., 2017, Electrocoagulation process in water treatment: A review of electrocoagulation modeling approaches, Desalination, Volume 404, pp. 1-21
  • Hakizimana, J.N., Najid, N., Gourich, B., Vial, Ch., Stiriba, Y., Naja, Y., 2017, Hybrid electrocoagulation/electroflotation/electrodisinfection process as a pretreatment for seawater desalination, Chemical Engineering Science, in press
  • Kouzbour, S., El Azher, N., Gourich, B., Gros, F., Vial, Ch., Stiriba, Y., 2017, Removal of manganese (II) from drinking water by aeration process using a an airlift reactor, Journal of Water Process Engineering, Volume 16, pp. 233-239
  • Stiriba, Y., Gourich, B., Vial, Ch., 2017, Numerical modeling of ferrous iron oxidation in a split-rectangular airlift reactor, Chemical Engineering Science, in press
  • Vial, Ch.; Stiriba, Y., 2013, Characterization of bioreactors using computational fluid dynamics, Fermentation Processes Engineering in the Food Industry, Taylor & Francis, 121-164

3. Heat transfer

  • Abdelmassih, G., Vernet, A., Pallarès, J., 2016, Steady and unsteady mixed convection flow in a cubical open cavity with the bottom wall heated ,International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 101, pp. 682-691
  • Burgos, J.; Cuesta, I.; Salueña, C., 2016, Numerical study of laminar mixed convection in a square open cavity, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer Volume 99, pp. 599-612
  • Pallarès, J., Gavaldà, J., Ruiz, X., 2016, Solutal natural convection flows in ternary mixtures, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 106:232-243
  • Garma, R.; Stiriba,Y.; Bourouis, M.; Bellagi, A., 2014, Numerical investigations of the heating distribution effect on the boiling flow in bubble pumps, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 39, pp. 15256-15260
  • Stiriba, Y.; Ferré, J.A.; Grau, F.X. , M, 2013, Heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of laminar flow past an open cavity with heating from below, International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer 43, 8-15
  • Varela, S. ; Usera, G. ; Vernet, A. ; Ferré, J.A, M, 2013, Numerical simulation of flow structures and temperature distribution in a Printed Circuit Board enclosure model at moderate Reynolds numbers ,International Journal of Thermal Sciences, Vol. 70, pp. 1-9
  • Abdelmassih, G.; Vernet, A. ; Pallarès, J., 2012, Numerical simulation of incompressible laminar flow in a three-dimensional channel with a cubical open cavity with a bottom wall heated, Journal of Physics: Conference Series Vol. 395 pp.012099
  • Blanch-Ojea, R.; Tiggelaar, R.M.; Pallarès, J.; Grau, F.X.; Gardeniers, J.G.E. , 2012, Flow of CO2-ethanol and CO2-methanol in a non-adiabatic microfluidic T-junction at high pressures, Microfluidics And Nanofluidics Vol. 12 pp.927-940
  • Pallarès, J.; Grau, F. X. , 2010, A modification of a Nusselt number correlation for forced convection in porous media, International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, Vol. 37 pp.1187-1190

4. Mixing and mass transfer

  • Martinez, M., Vernet, A., Pallarès, J., 2017, Clustering of long flexible fibers in two-dimensional flow fields for different Stokes numbers, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 111, pp. 532-539
  • Vial, C.; Stiriba, Y.; Trad, Z., 2015, CFD simulation of flow and mixing in-inline rotor-stator mixer with complex fluids, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol. 93, 2, pp. 391-403
  • Pallarès, J.; Grau, F.X. , 2014, Mass transfer rate of a first-order chemical reaction on a wall at high Schmidt numbers, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer Vol. 69 pp.438-442
  • Almazán, L.; Salueña, C.; Garzó, V.; Carrillo, J.A.; Pöschel, T. , 2012, Hydrodynamics at the Navier-Stokes level applied to fast, transient, supersonic granular flows, 28th International Symposium on Rarefied Gas Dynamics 2012 AIP Conf. Proc. 1501, pp. 993-1000

5. Absorption

  • Asfand, F., Stiriba, Y., Bourouis, M., 2016, Performance evaluation of membrane-based absorbers employing H2O/(LiBr + LiI + LiNO3 + LiCl) and H2O/(LiNO3 + KNO3 + NaNO3) as working pairs in absorption cooling systems, Energy, Volume 115, Part 1, pp. 781-790
  • Asfand, F., Stiriba, Y., Bourouis, M., 2016, Impact of the solution channel thickness while investigating the effect of membrane characteristics and operating conditions on the performance of water-LiBr membrane-based absorbers, Applied Thermal Engineering, Volume 108, pp. 866-877
  • Asfand, F.; Stiriba, Y.; Bourouis, M., 2015, CFD simulation to investigate heat and mass transfer processes in a membrane-based absorber for water-LiBr absorption cooling systems, Energy, 91, pp. 517-530
  • Cuenca, Y., Vernet, A., Vallès, M, 2014, Thermal conductivity enhancement of the binary mixture (NH3 D LiNO3) by the addition of CNTs, International Journal of Refrigeration, Vol. 41, pp. 113-120
  • Cuenca, Y., Salavera, D., Vernet, A., Teja, A.S., Vallès, M, 2014, Thermal Conductivity of Ammonia + Lithium Nitrate and Ammonia + Lithium Nitrate + Water Solutions over a Wide Range of Concentrations and Temperatures, International Journal of Refrigeration, . Vol. 38, pp. 333-340
  • Cuenca, Y., Salavera, D., Vernet, A., Vallès, M, 2013, Thermal conductivity of ammonia + water mixtures over a wide range of concentrations, International Journal of Refrigeration. Vol. 36, pp. 998-1003.

6. Gear pump

  • Erturk N., Vernet A., Pallarès J., Castilla R. and Raush G., M, 2013, Small-Scale characteristics and turbulent statistics of the flow in the suction chamber an external gear pump by Time-Resolved PIV, Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, Vol. 29, pp. 52-60
  • Erturk, N.; ; Vernet, A.; Castilla, R. ; Gámez-Montero, P.J.; Ferré, J.A., 2011, Experimental analysis of the flow dynamics in the suction chamber of an external gear pump, International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, Vol. 53, pp. 135-144
  • Castilla, R. ; Gámez-Montero, P.J.; Erturk, N.; Vernet, A.; Coussirat, M.; Codina, E, 2010, Numerical simulation of turbulent flow in the suction chamber of gear pump using deforming mesh and mesh replacement, , International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, Vol. 52, pp. 1334-1342

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