BUBBLE DYNAMICS AND ELUTRIATION STUDIES IN GAS-FLUID1ZED BEDS

In order to adequately interpret the heat and mass transfer data taken in a gas-fluidized bed, it is essential to know the bubble dynamics and solids movement in the bed, and solids elutriation from the bed. To generate information on these aspects, an experimental facility has been designed, fabricated and successfully tested. This consists of a two-dimensional fluidized bed with its gas supply and cleanup system. The bubble dynamics and solids projection from the bed are recorded by a high-speed movie camera. The films are analyzed on a photo-optical data analyser and digitizer provided with an electronic graphics calculator connected to tape printer and a Teletype terminal interfaced with a computer. The analysis of recorded bed dynamics suggests that for large particles the bubbles grow to be non-spherical and these rise almost above the bed surface before bursting when the wake remains intact while the solids bulge at the bubble nose ruptures to release the bubble gas. It is concluded unambiguously that the solids projected in the freeboard originate from the bubble bulge, and not from the bubble wake as commonly believed. A series of experiments is proposed which will facilitate the development of a general quantitative theory for solids elutriation from industrial fluidized beds.

In addition, a fairly complete review of the work done on bubble dynamics, solids movement in the bed, and solids projection from the bed surface in two- and three-dimensional fluidized beds is presented. Thus, on the whole the present work reviews the state-of-the-art of these three different fluid-bed aspects, and reports new data.     

高密度浓相流化床中气泡的兼并与分裂特性

利用先进的高速动态分析系统对二维床中气泡的行为进行了研究,通过对所拍摄图象的分析处理．得到了不同介质流化床内形成的气泡形状、大小、聚并及分裂的基本规律和特点．实验研究表明．气泡的兼并主要是两气泡问的合并、被合并气泡总是从气泡的尾涡区曳入气泡;气泡分裂主要发生在操作气速较大或大气泡中,是由于其顶部粒子流(或“剪切流”)的侵入造成的;操作气速较低,粒度、密度较大粒子形成的流化床更易于造成气泡的湮灭。     

EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATIONS OF FLUIDIZED BEDS AT ELEVATED PRESSURES

The object of the work described here was to elucidate the effects of operation under pressure on the physical behaviour of gas fluidized beds. Extensive measurements of various bubble properties such as size, shape and rise velocity in beds of coarse powders (mean particle diameters of 184 μm and 450μm) operated at pressures of up to 81 bar were made by photographing the images created by irradiation of the bed with X-rays, and analysing the bubble silhouettes thereby obtained. Most of the results presented here are averages of some 200 individual measurements.

Experimental evidence to support the following picture of the effect of pressurization on the behaviour of freely bubbling gas fluidized beds is presented. Both bubble interaction (tendency to coalesce) and the incidence of bubble splitting increase with increasing pressure; the two are intimately connected. The nett results are a decrease in bubble size with increasing pressure over most of the pressure range and an increase in the tendency for bubbles to distribute non-uniformly in a radial direction. This latter tendency probably causes gross solids circulation in the bed, and this in turn leads to higher bubble rise velocities than those observed for single bubbles under similar conditions. The splitting mechanism accounting for the decrease in bubble size was found to be intrusion of the wake into the bubble void by the flow of gas through the wake region of a leading bubble during pair coalescence.

An updated review of other published work relating to the subject of experimental observations of the effects of pressure on gas fluidized beds is included in the form of a table.     

Effect of bed size on hydrodynamics in 3‐D gas–solid fluidized beds

It is well known that hydrodynamics observed in large scale gas–solid fluidized beds are different from those observed in smaller scale beds. In this article, an efficient two‐fluid model based on kinetic theory of granular flow is applied, with the goal to highlight and investigate hydrodynamics differences between three‐dimensional fluidized beds of diameter 0.10, 0.15, 0.30, 0.60, and 1.0 m, focusing on the bubble and solids flow characteristics in the bubbling regime. Results for the 0.30 m diameter bed are compared with experimental results from the literature. The bubble size evolution closely follows a correlation proposed by Werther for small beds, and a correlation proposed by Darton for sufficiently large beds. The bubble size increases as the bed diameter is increased from 0.10 to 0.30 m, and remains approximately constant for bed diameters from 0.30 to 1.0 m. Concurrently, an increase in bubble rise velocity is observed, with a much high bubble rise velocity in the largest bed of diameter 1.0 m due to gulf stream circulations. The dynamics in shallow and deep beds is predicted to be different, with marked differences in bubble size and solids circulation patterns. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 1492–1506, 2015     

Mathematical modelling of coal combustion in fluidized beds with sulphur emission control by limestone or dolomite

A model is developed for the combustion of coal in fluidized beds with sulphur emission control by limestone or dolomite. The gas and solid flow analysis is based on multiple gas bubbles of varying sizes which, accompanied by the cloud and wake, rise through the particulate emulsion phase. Solids population balance relating the feed, overflow, and elutriation with the physiocochemical changes of particles in the bed is carried out for coal and sulphur-absorbent respectively. The reactions in the bed are then formulated in terms of the above determined gas velocities and distribution functions for solids. Experimental data from various pilot-plant operations are used to assess the validity of the proposed model. The observed coal conversion and sulphur retention under various operating conditions are in good agreement with the predicted values.     

Convective solids transport in large diameter gas fluidized beds

It is demonstrated that the convective solids transport occurring in large diameter gas fluidized beds can be predicted quantitatively on the basis of measured properties of the bubble phase. Based on the fundamental findings of Rowe and co-workers [5], who have shown the solids mixing in gas fluidized beds for particle diameters greater than 100 μm to be caused solely by the action of rising bubbles, an equation has been derive from extensive measurements of the bubble development in a 1 m diam. fluidized bed of quartz sand which relates the convective solids mass flow due to solids transport in the bubble wakes to easily determinable parameters. The predictions of this relationship are found to bein good agreement with direct measurements of the convective solids transport carried out by Schmalfeld [21] on a pilot scale in a semicylindrical bed of 0.8 m diam.     

MODEL FOR PREDICTING THE LATERAL DISPERSION COEFFICIENT OF SOLIDS IN GAS-SOLIDS FLUIDIZED BEDS

The lateral mixing of solids in a gas-solids fluidized bed is very complicated.It can be caused by:(a)bubble movement through the bed,(b)bubble burst at the bed surface,and(c)gross particle circulation in thebed.However,experiments show that the major factors effected the lateral mixing of solids are the bubblemovement through the bed and the bubble burst at the bed surface.Thus a model with two mixing re-gions,i.e.mixing in bubble rising region and mixing in bubble breaking region,was proposed.Based on thismodel,an equation for predicting the lateral dispersion coefficient of solids in gas-solids fluidized beds wasderived without any adjustable parameter.The calculated values by this equation are well comparable withthe observed data including the present work and the other investigations.     

Bed expansion and bubble wakes in three-phase fluidization

The expansion characteristics of gas-liquid fluidized beds have been measured for beds of glass ballotini and sand with particle sizes ranging from 120 to 775 microns. This data has been used in conjunction with recent measurements of bubble properties to predict the proportion of wake associated with bubbles rising through the bed using a modification of the theory proposed by Ostergaard to explain the contraction observed when gas is introduced into a liquid fluidized bed. Three-pase fluidization has also been observed by photography in a two-dimensional bed and the results are in substantial agreement with the calculations based on expansion behavior and bubble properties. The bubble wakes in a three phase system consist not only of a stable portion carried with the bubbles but also of vortices shed by the bubbles. A simplified model has been used to demonstrate that these vortices may contribute significantly to the observed contraction.     

Single bubble eruptions in gas fluidized beds

The motion of the solids thrown above the bed surface by single bubble eruptions was studied using a high speed video system. Data on the motion of the bubble and emulsion phases are presented as functions of bubble size, type of bed material, fluidizing velocity and bed depth. When plotted in dimensionless form, the trajectories of the tops of the bulge layer, bubble and wake can be condensed into three universal curves which represent the trajectories for these points for the entire range of bed materials, bubble sizes, fluidization velocities and bed depths tested. There appeared to be no significant effect of excess air, bubble size or bed depth on the dimensionless heights reached by the wake and bulge materials. In all cases the bulge material was ejected to a greater height above the bed than the wake.     

流化床密相区颗粒扩散系数的CFD数值预测

应用离散颗粒模型直观获得颗粒运动情况,并从单个颗粒和气泡作用的角度分析颗粒运动和混合,证实气泡在床层中上升、在床层表面爆破以及气泡上升引起的乳化相下沉运动对颗粒混合起关键作用。应用基于颗粒动理学的双流体模型系统地对床宽分别为0.2、0.4、0.8 m的二维流化床在鼓泡区和湍动区的气固两相流动行为进行数值模拟。受离散颗粒模型启发,在双流体模型计算结果基础上,引入理想示踪粒子技术计算床内平均颗粒扩散系数。计算结果表明,颗粒横向扩散系数(D_x)总体上随流化风速增大而增大,但受床体尺寸影响较大;颗粒轴向扩散系数随流化风速增大而增大,受床体尺寸影响较弱。文献报道的密相区颗粒横向扩散系数分布在10^-4～10^-1 m²·s^-1数量级。本文提出的计算方法在数量级上与文献实验结果吻合,表明在大尺寸流化床且高流化风速下,颗粒横向扩散系数远大于小尺寸鼓泡流化床,为不同研究者实验结果的分歧提供了理论依据,也为预测大型流化床内颗粒扩散速率提供了放大策略。     

Mixing dynamics in bubbling fluidized beds

Solids mixing affects thermal and concentration gradients in fluidized bed reactors and is, therefore, critical to their performance. Despite substantial effort over the past decades, understanding of solids mixing continues to be lacking because of technical limitations of diagnostics in large pilot and commercial‐scale reactors. This study is focused on investigating mixing dynamics and their dependence on operating conditions using computational fluid dynamics simulations. Toward this end, fine‐grid 3D simulations are conducted for the bubbling fluidization of three distinct Geldart B particles (1.15 mm LLDPE, 0.50 mm glass, and 0.29 mm alumina) at superficial gas velocities U/Umf = 2–4 in a pilot‐scale 50 cm diameter bed. The Two‐Fluid Model (TFM) is employed to describe the solids motion efficiently while bubbles are detected and tracked using MS3DATA. Detailed statistics of the flow‐field in and around bubbles are computed and used to describe bubble‐induced solids micromixing: solids upflow driven in the nose and wake regions while downflow along the bubble walls. Further, within these regions, the hydrodynamics are dependent only on particle and bubble characteristics, and relatively independent of the global operating conditions. Based on this finding, a predictive mechanistic, analytical model is developed which integrates bubble‐induced micromixing contributions over their size and spatial distributions to describe the gross solids circulation within the fluidized bed. Finally, it is shown that solids mixing is affected adversely in the presence of gas bypass, or throughflow, particularly in the fluidization of heavier particles. This is because of inefficient gas solids contacting as 30–50% of the superficial gas flow escapes with 2–3× shorter residence time through the bed. This is one of the first large‐scale studies where both the gas (bubble) and solids motion, and their interaction, are investigated in detail and the developed framework is useful for predicting solids mixing in large‐scale reactors as well as for analyzing mixing dynamics in complex reactive particulate systems. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 4316–4328, 2017     

A Novel Model for Predicting the Dense Phase Behavior of 3D Gas‐Solid Fluidized Beds

A novel phenomenological discrete bubble model was developed and tested for prediction of the hydrodynamic behavior of the dense phase of a 3D gas‐solid cylindrical fluidized bed. The mirror image technique was applied to take into account the effects of the bed wall. The simulation results were validated against experimental data reported in the literature that were obtained by positron emission particle tracking. The time‐averaged velocity profiles of particles predicted by the developed model were found to agree well with experimental data. The initial bubble diameter had no significant influence on the time‐averaged circulating pattern of solids in the bed. The model predictions clearly indicate that the developed model can fairly predict the hydrodynamic behavior of the dense phase of 3D gas‐solid cylindrical fluidized beds.     

A two-dimensional gas fluidized bed for hydrodynamic and elutriation studies

A two-dimensional fluidized bed having the dimensions of 52.1 cm (20.5 in) by 2.00 cm (0.787 in) is designed and tested for its use in hydrodynamic and elutriation studies. The fluidization column is provided with a calming section and freeboard which are 45.7 cm (18.0 in) and 129.5 cm (51.0 in) high respectively. A porous distributor plate is provided whose pressure drop is found to vary linearly with air velocity in the range of current interest. Fluidization experiments with three sand particles (788, 488 and 167 μm), glass beads (427 μm), millet (2064 μm) and green peas (4578 μm) are reported. Bed expansion and bubble growth characteristics are examined in some detail. Variations of bed height and pressure drop with fluidization velocity are analyzed to establish bed voidage as a function of gas velocity, and minimum fluidization velocity. The latter is also measured for three particles in a 0.305 m square fluidized bed. These studies reveal that two-dimensional fluidized beds are great tools for making novel qualitative investigations for mechanistic details of processes taking place in three-dimensional fluidized beds. Currently, investigations are underway for elutriation phenomenon.     

Heat transfer within dynamically structured bubbling fluidized beds subject to vibration: A two-fluid modeling study

Bubbling fluidized beds are often used to achieve a uniform particle temperature distribution in industrial processes involving gas and particles. However, the chaotic bubble dynamics pose significant challenges in scale-up. Recent work (Guo et al., 2021, PNAS 118, e2108647118) has shown that using vibration can structure the bubbling pattern to a highly predictable manner with the characteristic bubble properties independent of system width, opening opportunities to address key issues associated with conventional bubbling fluidized beds. Herein, using two-fluid modeling simulations, we studied heat transfer characteristics within the dynamically structured bubbling fluidized bed and compared to unstructured bubbling fluidized beds and packed beds. Simulations show that the structured bubbling fluidized bed can achieve the most uniform particle temperature distribution because it can achieve the best particle mixing while maintaining a global heat transfer coefficient similar to that of a freely bubbling fluidized bed.     

BUBBLE MOTION IN A THREE-PHASE LIQUID FLUIDIZED BED

This paper presents results for the rise velocities of air bubbles in liquids and liquid-solid fluidized beds. The bubble sizes ranged from approximately 0.03 to 0.45 cm radius. Tap water and distilled water were used as the fluidizing liquids. The solid phase consisted of low density alginate gel beads of mean radius 0.04 cm. The gel beads were translucent which permitted observation of bubbles inside the bed even at large solids volume fractions. Experiments were conducted for solids volume fractions ranging from 15% to 52% and in clear liquids. The goal of the experiments was to determine rise velocities of bubbles and to develop and evaluate correlations of bubble rise velocity based on bubble size, solids volume fraction and liquid properties. It was determined that, for moderate solids fractions (ranging from 28% to 45% solids), a semi-empirical correlation that treated the fluidized bed as a pure liquid with a higher viscosity than the liquid phase could be used to represent the data. The Thomas effective viscosity model was used to predict the viscosity. Provided that one restricts attention to a water fluidized bed, a second empirical correlation can be used to represent the data over a broader range of solids fractions.     

A novel technique for particle tracking in cold 2-dimensional fluidized beds—simulating fuel dispersion

This paper presents a novel technique for particle tracking in 2-dimensional fluidized beds operated under ambient conditions. The method is applied to study the mixing mechanisms of fuel particles in fluidized beds and is based on tracking a phosphorescent tracer particle by means of video recording with subsequent digital image analysis. From this, concentration, velocity and dispersion fields of the tracer particle can be obtained with high accuracy. Although the method is restricted to 2-dimensional, it can be applied under flow conditions qualitatively resembling a fluidized-bed combustor. Thus, the experiments cover ranges of bed heights, gas velocities and fuel-to-bed material density and size ratios typical for fluidized-bed combustors. Also, several fluidization regimes (bubbling, turbulent, circulating and pneumatic) are included in the runs.A pattern found in all runs is that the mixing pattern of the tracer (fuel) solids is structured in horizontally aligned vortexes induced by the bubble flow. The main bubble paths always give a low concentration of tracer solids and with the tracer moving upwards, while the downflow of tracer particles in the dense bottom bed is found to take place in zones with low bubble density and at the sidewalls. The amount of bed material (bed height) has a strong influence on the bottom bed dynamics (development and coalescence of bubbles) and, consequently, on the solids mixing process. Local dispersion coefficients reach maximum values around the locations of bubble eruptions, while, in the presence of a dense bottom bed, an increase in fluidization velocity or amount of bed material enhances dispersion. Dispersion is found to be larger in the vertical than in the horizontal direction, confirming the critical character of lateral fuel dispersion in fluidized-bed combustors of large cross section.     

Wake characteristics of three-phase fluidized beds

Wake volumes in three-phase fluidized beds hae been computed from phase holdup and bubble rising velocity data over a wide range of experimental conditions. The ratio of the wake to gas holdup k? increased with liquid velocity and decreased with gas velocity and surface tension. A correlation relating k? to these variables was derived. Both a stable wake and vortex shedding appeared to contribute to the measured wake volume.     

Bed Expansion and Particle Classification in Liquid Fluidized Beds with Structured Internals

The inclusion of a structured packing as internal in a liquid‐solid fluidized bed allows expansion of the liquid velocity operation range before elutriation, promoting the liquid solid contact and mixing. The bed expansion of liquid‐solid fluidized beds provided with structured packing as internals is examined, for solids denser than the liquid phase and within a wide range of operating conditions. A correlation to estimate the bed expansion in liquid‐solid fluidized beds using structured packing as internals is developed. In addition, the feasibility of employing structured packing as internals for favoring classification of different density particles is demonstrated by analyzing the mass elutriated from the column at different liquid velocities for single particles or binary mixtures.     

流化床反应器过程强化技术

Fluidized beds enable good solids mixing, high rates of heat and mass transfer, and large throughputs, but there remain issues related to fluidization quality and scale-up. In this work I review modification techniques for fluidized beds from the perspective of the principles of process intensification (PI), that is, effective bubbling sup-pression and elutriation control. These techniques are further refined into (1) design factors, e.g. modifying the bed configuration, or the application of internal and external forces, and (2) operational factors, including altering the particle properties (e.g. size, density, surface area) and fluidizing gas properties (e.g. density, viscosity, or velocity). As far as two proposed PI principles are concerned, our review suggests that it ought to be possible to gain improve-ments of between 2 and 4 times over conventional fluidized bed designs by the application of these techniques.     

APPLICATIONS OF CROSSFLOW MAGNETICALLY STABILIZED FLUIDIZED BEDS

The utilization of fluidized beds to effect separations has been limited by the fluid bypassing and particle mixing which tends to decrease the efficiency of separation. Application of a magnetic field to a fluidized bed of magnetizable particles produces a quiescent state with several of the best properties of both fluidized and fixed beds. Similar to fluidized beds, the magnetized beds resemble a liquid and are easily transported between vessels. Their contacting properties, however, are close to those of packed beds with near plug flow of both the fluid and bed particles. These magnetized fluidized beds have advantages when operated in a crossflow configuration, with continuous participates movement transverse to the ascending flow of the fluidizing fluid. Applications of these crossflow beds include solids/solids separation, fluid filtering, and chromatographic separations.