Design and Optimization of Gas–Liquid Vortex Unit Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulation

Due to the exceptional multiphase mixing and mass transfer performance, gas–liquid vortex units (GLVUs) have great potential for solvent-based applications such as CO2 capture. The high gas flow rates needed to provide the energy input for creating the centrifugal field negatively influence the contact between phases and the efficiency of the GLVU. To address this issue, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to optimize the design of the GLVU geometry and its operating conditions. The gas–liquid flow characteristics, contact time, and total energy consumption in different GLVU geometries are analyzed. The effects of geometrical changes including reactor shape, reactor volume, and gas–liquid inlet configuration are investigated. In the optimized GLVU designs, the gas–liquid contact time is increased by more than a factor of 3, while the energy consumption is reduced by 85%, compared to the base case. Structural optimization of a GLVU is an effective route to improve the gas–liquid contact time. The use of CFD significantly accelerates the optimization of the design of a GLVU geometry for subsequent manufacturing.