Numerical Prediction of Homogeneity of Gas Flow through Perforated Plates

Abstract

Vanes and baffles are often used as flow distributors where uniform flow is required in the apparatus of large cross-section surface areas. As an alternative, perforated plates with a range of open area ratios are applied to produce required gas flow homogeneity. Usually, the plates with various open area ratios are combined into large panels, of which total surface area can reach hundreds of square meters for large-sized industrial apparatus. Numerical modelling of the flow through such panels can be thought of as overly complex, time-consuming, and inefficient due to numerous small open area ratios in the plates and large differences in dimensions between open area ratios and free-stream areas. For this reason, numerical models of gas flow are limited to single plates only with constant open area ratios. A new indirect modelling approach of gas flow through the perforated plates panel with structural elements and various open area ratios with application of the porous media model is proposed. A perforated plate was experimentally investigated in terms of pressure drop and velocity distribution. The data obtained were used for the validation of the numerical results, which differed from the experimental results by less than 5%. In the next step, numerical analyses were performed for plates with open area ratios in the range of 30 to 70% for gas velocities of 5 and 10 m/s. A general correlation for pressure drop as a function of open area ratio was proposed. Finally, systematic numerical studies of the flow through both perforated and porous plates including structural elements were performed. The internal resistance of the porous core was calculated by means of a developed correlation. A good agreement between results with an error lower than 15% was observed.