Simulation of micro- and macro-transport in a packed bed of porous adsorbents by lattice Boltzmann methods

Multiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann simulation for flow, mass transfer, and adsorption in porous media

In this paper, to predict the dynamics behaviors of flow and mass transfer with adsorption phenomena in porous media at the representative elementary volume (REV) scale, a multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) lattice Boltzmann (LB) model for the convection-diffusion equation is developed to solve the transfer problem with an unsteady source term in porous media. Utilizing the Chapman-Enskog analysis, the modified MRT-LB model can recover the macroscopic governing equations at the REV scale. The coupled MRT-LB model for momentum and mass transfer is validated by comparing with the finite-difference method and the analytical solution. Moreover, using the MRT-LB method coupled with the linear driving force model, the fluid transfer and adsorption behaviors of the carbon dioxide in a porous fixed bed are explored. The breakthrough curve of adsorption from MRT-LB simulation is compared with the experimental data and the finite-element solution, and the transient concentration distributions of the carbon dioxide along the porous fixed bed are elaborated upon in detail. In addition, the MRT-LB simulation results show that the appearance time of the breakthrough point in the breakthrough curve is advanced as the mass transfer resistance in the linear driving force model increases; however, the saturation point is prolonged inversely.

Lattice Boltzmann heat transfer model for permeable voxels

We develop a gray-scale lattice Boltzmann (LB) model to study fluid flow combined with heat transfer for flow through porous media where voxels may be partially solid (or void). Heat transfer in rocks may lead to deformation, which in turn can modulate the fluid flow and so has significant contribution to rock permeability. The LB temperature field is compared to a finite difference solution of the continuum partial differential equations for fluid flow in a channel. Excellent quantitative agreement is found for both Poiseuille channel flow and Brinkman flow. The LB model is then applied to sample porous media such as packed beds and also more realistic sandstone rock sample, and both the convective and diffusive regimes are recovered when varying the thermal diffusivity. It is found that while the rock permeability can be comparatively small (order milli-Darcy), the temperature field can show significant variation depending on the thermal convection of the fluid. This LB method has significant advantages over other numerical methods such as finite and boundary element methods in dealing with coupled fluid flow and heat transfer in rocks which have irregular and nonsmooth pore spaces.

Lattice Boltzmann simulation of the gas-solid adsorption process in reconstructed random porous media

The gas-solid adsorption process in reconstructed random porous media is numerically studied with the lattice Boltzmann (LB) method at the pore scale with consideration of interparticle, interfacial, and intraparticle mass transfer performances. Adsorbent structures are reconstructed in two dimensions by employing the quartet structure generation set approach. To implement boundary conditions accurately, all the porous interfacial nodes are recognized and classified into 14 types using a proposed universal program called the boundary recognition and classification program. The multiple-relaxation-time LB model and single-relaxation-time LB model are adopted to simulate flow and mass transport, respectively. The interparticle, interfacial, and intraparticle mass transfer capacities are evaluated with the permeability factor and interparticle transfer coefficient, Langmuir adsorption kinetics, and the solid diffusion model, respectively. Adsorption processes are performed in two groups of adsorbent media with different porosities and particle sizes. External and internal mass transfer resistances govern the adsorption system. A large porosity leads to an early time for adsorption equilibrium because of the controlling factor of external resistance. External and internal resistances are dominant at small and large particle sizes, respectively. Particle size, under which the total resistance is minimum, ranges from 3 to 7 μm with the preset parameters. Pore-scale simulation clearly explains the effect of both external and internal mass transfer resistances. The present paper provides both theoretical and practical guidance for the design and optimization of adsorption systems.