NETL has announced the release of Multiphase Flow with Interphase eXchanges (MFiX) Version 24.1, the latest upgrade to multiphase computational fluid dynamics software used to shorten the time and cost associated with developing new power generation technologies.

MFiX is the cornerstone of NETL’s multiphase flow reactor modeling efforts to understand how different phases of matter interact physically and chemically in power generation systems.

With more than 9,000 registered users worldwide, MFiX has become the standard for comparing, implementing and evaluating multiphase flow models and has been applied to a diverse range of multiphase flow applications. MFiX places NETL at the forefront of high-performance and extreme-scale computing and provides a crucial tool to help drive breakthroughs in engineering that support U.S. economic competitiveness, national security and scientific discovery. 

Using MFiX technology, researchers can leverage more than 35 years of world-class multiphase flow research to create detailed computer models of multiphase systems and develop new power generation technologies that are more efficient and produce fewer emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Capabilities added as part of the MFiX 24.1 upgrade include:

• The addition of the glued sphere particle model — a tool in which spheres are assembled to simulate the imperfect shape of particles found in a variety of energy-producing feedstocks, including biomass, municipal solid waste and waste plastics. Intra-particle heat transfer can also be computed between component spheres.  
• Integration of the Herschel-Bulkley Model. This tool is a way to bring non-Newtonian fluid characteristics (via viscosity) into the simulation.
• Enhanced ability to save variables in a visualization toolkit file format. Variables include viscosity, specific heat and particle volume.
• The ability to specify Sutherland’s Law viscosity parameters as keywords, enhancing the accuracy of simulations.

NETL’s Multiphase Flow Science research will continue to grow MFiX, including future releases with machine learning surrogate models for drag and collision modeling. Models such as these are an important aspect of NETL’s Science-Based AI/ML Institute (SAMI), which seeks to expand artificial intelligence/machine learning research at NETL.

For more information, visit the MFiX forum. Questions may also be directed admin@mfix.netl.doe.gov.

In addition, MFiX and related research topics will be discussed at NETL’s 2024 Workshop on Multiphase Flow Science to be held Tuesday, Aug. 13, and Wednesday, Aug. 14, at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place in Morgantown, West Virginia. Click here to register. 

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory that drives innovation and delivers solutions for an environmentally sustainable and prosperous energy future. By leveraging its world-class talent and research facilities, NETL is ensuring affordable, abundant and reliable energy that drives a robust economy and national security, while developing technologies to manage carbon across the full life cycle, enabling environmental sustainability for all Americans.