A pressure-based algorithm for multi-phase flow at all speeds

A new finite volume-based numerical algorithm for predicting incompressible and compressible multi-phase flow phenomena is presented. The technique is equally applicable in the subsonic, transonic, and supersonic regimes. The method is formulated on a non-orthogonal coordinate system in collocated primitive variables. Pressure is selected as a dependent variable in preference to density because changes in pressure are significant at all speeds as opposed to variations in density, which become very small at low Mach numbers. The pressure equation is derived from overall mass conservation. The performance of the new method is assessed by solving the following two-dimensional two-phase flow problems: (i) incompressible turbulent bubbly flow in a pipe, (ii) incompressible turbulent air–particle flow in a pipe, (iii) compressible dilute gas–solid flow over a flat plate, and (iv) compressible dusty flow in a converging diverging nozzle. Predictions are shown to be in excellent agreement with published numerical and/or experimental data.