NUMERICAL STUDY OF 2-DIMENSIONAL COMPACTION, FLOW, AND DISPERSION IN A CHROMATOGRAPHIC COLUMN

Mathematical and numerical modeling of the complex interplay between c ompaction, flow, and hydrodynamic dispersion in a chromatographic colu mn under steady stale conditions has been examined. The mathematical m odel was based on pure elastic analysis and Darcy flow. A two-dimensio nal control volume approach was applied to solve the coupled nonlinear equations describing the flow and compaction. The two-dimensional equ ation describing the hydrodynamic dispersion was solved using an expli cit control volume algorithm. Numerical diffusion was eliminated by us ing a window of moving points following the concentration front.