Application of CFD in the study of supercritical fluid extraction with structured packing: Wet pressure drop calculations

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used to study the complex multiphase flow inside Sulzer EX structured gauze packing and to understand the influence of shape and geometry on the hydrodynamics of packed columns. Models for the estimation of both dry and wet pressure drops are presented. The results of these numerical simulations are compared to experimental data available in the literature, and good agreement is found.