Verification of sub-grid filtered drag models for gas-particle fluidized beds with immersed cylinder arrays

The accuracy of coarse-grid multiphase CFD simulations of fluidized beds may be improved via the inclusion of filtered constitutive models. In our previous study (Sarkar et al., 2013 Chem. Eng. Sci., 104, pp. 399–412), we developed such a set of filtered drag relationships for beds with immersed arrays of cooling tubes. Verification of these filtered drag models is addressed in this work. Predictions from coarse-grid simulations with the sub-grid filtered corrections are compared against accurate, highly-resolved simulations of full-scale turbulent and bubbling fluidized beds. The filtered drag models offer a computationally efficient yet accurate alternative for obtaining macroscopic predictions, but the spatial resolution of meso-scale clustering heterogeneities is sacrificed.