Simulation of Continuous Phase Flow in Small‐Scale Vortex Devices: Model Applicability Assessment

To investigate the applicability of flow models used for numerical simulation of vortex devices, reorganization group k‐ε, Reynolds stress model, delayed detached eddy simulation (DDES), and large eddy simulation were evaluated for small‐scale vortex reactors/separators. Their comprehensive performances were compared in terms of the assessment indicators including root mean squares error, coefficient of determination R2, and convergence time. It was found that considering the balance of techno‐economics, DDES is the better option with relatively high prediction accuracy (RMSE = 0.5577 and R2 = 0.9591) and low computational cost (∼500 s) under a specified computational platform. The results can provide a positive reference for the selection and improvement of the flow models used for vortex devices. The availability and applicability of different flow models used in computational fluid dynamics‐based numerical simulation is examined, based on the comparison of the fluid flow for small‐scale vortex reactors/separators with various design structures and operating parameters. Prediction performances are compared and evaluated in terms of techno‐economic parameters.