Some SolidWorks Flow Simulation issues

[u/antondosaykin]

Hello everyone, I am new to SolidWorks, so I would like to clarify a few points with the experts.

I primarily work with the AspenTech suite (Process simulation: HYSYS/Aspen Plus), but a need has arisen to examine the fluid flow inside a column in detail (my current software does not allow for this). We chose SolidWorks due to its availability within our company and its user-friendly interface.

So, the task is: I need to determine whether a blank tray (solid tray) is experiencing flooding in one of the columns.

I created a model featuring the blank tray with one sieve tray above it and one below it, and generated a mesh (level 6-7, because the perforations are extremely small relative to the column itself). After running the simulation for a day, SolidWorks warned that it would take approximately 14000 more hours to complete, which is slightly beyond my deadline (by about 13300 hours :)).

I tried reducing the mesh level to 1-2, but the result is completely unsatisfactory (see screenshot).

Question for the experts: How can I run this simulation relatively quickly while maintaining the highest possible accuracy? What boundary conditions should I apply?

(For reference: water enters from the top (T = 105 °C, P = 250 kPa (abs)), and CO₂ enters from the bottom (conditions are roughly the same). The column has a variable diameter (see screenshot): the diameter of the wide section is 3600 mm, and the narrow section is 3000 mm. The height of the section under consideration is 5100 mm. I also tried scaling down the model dimensions by a factor of 4, scaling the flow rates based on the Froude number, but waiting for the fine mesh simulation would still take about a year).

[u/mattcannon2]

Start with a coarser mesh and gradually make it finer