Integrated CFD Models for Simulation of Photo-Reactors

A CFD-based model was developed to simulate the performance of ultraviolet (UV) photo-reactors. The general approach consisted of a combined strategy of experimentally studying the fundamentals of the photolysis process in the reactor (including hydrodynamics, kinetics, and radiation distribution) and developing, in parallel, integrated models that enable simulation of the reactor performance, taking into account all the relevant phenomena. The hydrodynamics were characterized experimentally using particle image velocimetry (PIV) flow visualization techniques and simulated by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for UV reactor prototype models. The complex flow field in UV reactors was reasonably well predicted by the CFD models. The integrated model of UV reactor performance was developed by solving the governing equations of fluid transport, species conservation, and the fluence rate within the reactors. The reactor performance model provided results in good agreement with experimental data from an industrial reactor. The model can potentially be applied to the design optimization of UV reactors.