Research focus: Development of CFD based compartment models

Accurate characterisation and prediction of local and global hydrodynamics and mixing phenomena are fundamental to process engineering. Consequently, the robust design, scale-up, and digital modelling of complex flow and mixing operations remain a central challenge.

CFD-based compartment modelling offers a promising approach that balances the level of detail and computational effort. Based on a representative CFD simulation, the computational domain is segmented into functional zones (compartments) that are assumed to be ideally mixed and are defined by specified geometric, hydrodynamic, and chemical criteria. Intercompartmental mass fluxes are then established to model mass transfer, thereby enabling the calculation of hydrodynamics and mixing phenomena at a fraction of the computational effort required by typical CFD simulations.

Model integrity depends critically on the definition of physically meaningful partitioning criteria and on the chosen compartmentalisation methodology. The research focuses on developing methods for the efficient design, scale-up, and optimisation of processes using CFD-based compartment modelling.