Implicitly solving phase appearance and disappearance problems using two-fluid six-equation model

Abstract

Phase appearance and disappearance issue presents serious numerical challenges in two-phase flow simulations using the two-fluid six-equation model. Numerical challenges arise from the singular equation system when one phase is absent, as well as from the discontinuity in the solution space when one phase appears or disappears. In this work, a high-resolution spatial discretization scheme on staggered grids and fully implicit methods were applied for the simulation of two-phase flow problems using the two-fluid six-equation model. A Jacobian-free Newton-Krylov (JFNK) method was used to solve the discretized nonlinear problem. An improved numerical treatment was proposed and proved to be effective to handle the numerical challenges. The treatment scheme is conceptually simple, easy to implement, and does not require explicit truncations on solutions, which is essential to conserve mass and energy. Various types of phase appearance and disappearance problems relevant to thermal-hydraulics analysis have been investigated, including a sedimentation problem, an oscillating manometer problem, a non-condensable gas injection problem, a single-phase flow with heat addition problem and a subcooled flow boiling problem. Successful simulations of these problems demonstrate the capability and robustness of the proposed numerical methods and numerical treatments. As a result, volume fraction of the absent phase can be calculated effectively as zero.