Abstract The numerical simulation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software was used to simulate the dynamic behavior of gas liquid two-phase flow in the bubble column reactor to provide the basis for the design of bubbling tower. Simulation study by Eulerian-Eulerian approach has been made for the oscillation characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow in different aeration units in a rectangular reactor. The influence of grid size, time step and interphase force on the simulation was analyzed using the standard k-ε turbulence model for liquid phase and the dispersed phase zero equation model for gas phase. The gas flow rates ranging from 42.5 to 237 mL /s were used for simulation. The results revealed that the gas-liquid two-phase flow exhibited the periodic oscillation law if resistance was considered as the only interphase force. With the increase of air flow, the amplitude and frequency of the bubble plume increased, and the gas hold up increased. The simulated frequency of gas-liquid two-phase bubble flow oscillation was in good agreement with the experimental results, and the relative error was 7.2%-12.9%.
