Numerical simulation of particle motion in dense phase pneumatic conveying

A gas-solids two-dimensional mathematical model was developed for plug flow of cohesionless particles in a horizontal pipeline in dense phase pneumatic conveying. The model was developed based on the discrete element method (DEM). For the gas phase, the Navier-Stokes equations were integrated by the semi-implicit method for pressure-linked equations (SIMPLE) scheme of Patankar employing the staggered grid system. For the particle motion the Newtonian equations of motion of individual particles were integrated, where repulsive and damping forces for particle collision, the gravity force, and the drag force were taken into account. For particle contact, a nonlinear spring and dash pot model for both normal and tangential components was used. In order to get more realistic results, the model uses realistic pneumatic system and material values.     

Simulation of Gas-Solid Flow in Vertical Pipe by Hard-Sphere Model

ABSTRACT

This article presents a two-dimensional study of the gas-solid flow in a vertical pneumatic conveying pipe by means of a hard-sphere model where the motion of individual particles can be traced. Simulations were performed for a pipe of height 0.9 m and width 0.06 m, with air as gas phase and particles of density 900 kg/m³ and diameter 0.003 m as solid phase. Periodic boundary conditions were applied to the solid phase in the axial direction. Different cases were simulated to examine the effects of the number of particles used, superficial gas velocity, and restitution coefficient. The results show that the main features of plug flow can be reasonably captured by the proposed simulation technique. That is, increasing the number of particles in a simulation will increase the length of plugs but does not change the velocity of plugs; the solid fraction of a plug is relatively low if the number of particles is small. In particular, it is shown that increasing superficial gas velocity will increase the velocity of plugs and the frequency of plugs, and the pressure drop through a rising plug increases linearly with the plug length, suggesting that the total pressure of a conveying system with a given length can be quantified from the information of plug length and plug frequency. Increasing the restitution coefficient can promote the momentum transfer between particles and hence the raining down of particles from the back of a plug in vertical pneumatic conveying. The simulation offers a useful technique to understand the fundamentals governing the gas-solid flow under pneumatic conveying conditions.     

Simulation of Gas-Solid Flow in Vertical Pipe by Hard-Sphere Model

This article presents a two-dimensional study of the gas-solid flow in a vertical pneumatic conveying pipe by means of a hard-sphere model where the motion of individual particles can be traced. Simulations were performed for a pipe of height 0.9 m and width 0.06 m, with air as gas phase and particles of density 900 kg/m³ and diameter 0.003 m as solid phase. Periodic boundary conditions were applied to the solid phase in the axial direction. Different cases were simulated to examine the effects of the number of particles used, superficial gas velocity, and restitution coefficient. The results show that the main features of plug flow can be reasonably captured by the proposed simulation technique. That is, increasing the number of particles in a simulation will increase the length of plugs but does not change the velocity of plugs; the solid fraction of a plug is relatively low if the number of particles is small. In particular, it is shown that increasing superficial gas velocity will increase the velocity of plugs and the frequency of plugs, and the pressure drop through a rising plug increases linearly with the plug length, suggesting that the total pressure of a conveying system with a given length can be quantified from the information of plug length and plug frequency. Increasing the restitution coefficient can promote the momentum transfer between particles and hence the raining down of particles from the back of a plug in vertical pneumatic conveying. The simulation offers a useful technique to understand the fundamentals governing the gas-solid flow under pneumatic conveying conditions.     

Solids Friction Factors for Fluidized Dense-Phase Conveying

There have been numerous correlations proposed for determining a solids friction factor ( λs ) for fully suspended (dilute phase) pneumatic conveying. Currently, there are no equivalent correlations that predict λs in nonsuspension dense-phase flows. In dense-phase conveying there are two basic modes of flow: plug/slug flow, which is predominantly based on granular products, and fluidized dense-phase flow, which is more suited to fine powders exhibiting good air retention capabilities. In plug/slug type flow, the stresses between the moving plug of material and the pipe wall dominate the solid-phase frictional losses. In fluidized dense-phase flow the frictional losses are characterized as a mixture of particle-wall and particle-particle losses but are heavily influenced by the gas-solid interactions. In this paper, a series of calculations were performed on experimental data in order to estimate λs for four types of material conveyed in the fluidized dense-phase flow regime. The solids frictional factors were found to be relatively independent of particle properties for varying air and solid mass flow rates and pressure drops. The resultant pressure drop from the empirical model showed good agreement with the experimental data.     

Horizontal pneumatic conveying: a 3d distinct element model

Pneumatic conveying is widely used for transporting bulk solids in chemical, process and agricultural industries. It is environmentally friendly, flexible and can be fully automated. But it can also involve high power consumption, wear, abrasion, blockage and particle degradation. Hence understanding the physics can help to optimise design and operation. Conveying in a horizontal pipe involves complex multiphase flows, potentially with lean and dense phase regions, stationary particles and blockage.The Distinct Element Method (DEM) is a powerful tool to study granular dynamics. It models interactions at the particle level and reproduces the assembly physics. This paper presents a 3D DEM model to predict pressure drop, flowrate and flow patterns in pneumatic conveying. The inter-particle forces are modelled using the spring-dashpot-slider analogy. A novel gas flow model is developed. The pipe is divided into sections. In each section a lean and dense region is determined on a voidage criterion based on particle positions. Given the pressure at the boundaries, the fluid flow is determined assuming steady state conditions. This uses the Ergun equation for the flow through the dense phase and the equations of Wen and Yu for modified single spheres and wall resistance for the lean phase. It uses an iterative algorithm adjusting the fluid flowrate so that the pressure in each section is the same in the dense phase and lean phase and maintaining the boundary pressures. Once the fluid flow profile has been calculated the fluid drag on each particle can be determined. The results compare well with experimental data relating pressure gradient and solid and gas flowrates from Molerus (1993), Molerus (1996). Flow patterns for all the flow regimes, fully suspended flow, strand flow, slug flow, and conveying over stationary layer are observed.     

Particle dynamics analysis in bend in a horizontal-vertical pneumatic conveying system with oscillatory flow

The pneumatic system is frequently operated in the high air velocity region, which aggravates the power consumption and erosion of bend, and the intensive study of the particles motion characteristic on a horizontal-vertical pneumatic conveying in various curved 90° bends is necessary. This experimental study focuses on the particles motion characteristic of bend on the horizontal-vertical pneumatic conveying with oscillatory flow (generated by installing the oscillator) in terms of on pressure drop, powder consumption, the evolution of particle velocity and particle fluctuating intensity during flowing through bends. The results indicate that powder consumption can be reduced by using oscillatory flow, which is more obvious with a larger radius ratios bend. Meanwhile, the pressure drop proportion of bend is higher than average pressure drop of the system within the same distance. Otherwise, the total reduction particles velocity through bend is less while using oscillatory flow, which is more obvious using larger radius ratios bend. The particle velocity using oscillatory flow is higher than that of the conventional pneumatic conveying for the cases of larger radius ratios bend, and this effect is less evident while through a smaller radius bend.     

An Investigation into Pressure Fluctuations and Improved Modeling of Solids Friction for Dense-Phase Pneumatic Conveying of Powders

The aim of this paper is to investigate into flow mechanism with the help of pressure signal fluctuations analysis and modeling solids friction in case of solids–gas flows for fluidized-dense-phase pneumatic conveying of fine powders. Materials conveyed include fly ash (median particle diameter 30 µm; particle density 2300 kg m^?3; loose-poured bulk density 700 kg m^?3) and white powder (median particle diameter 55 µm; particle density 1600 kg m^?3; loose-poured bulk density 620 kg m^?3). These were conveyed in different flow regimes varying from fluidized-dense-to-dilute phase. To obtain information on the nature of flow inside pipeline, static pressure signals were studied using technique of Shannon entropy. Increase in the values of Shannon entropy along the flow direction through the straight-pipe sections were found for both the powders. However, drop occurred in the Shannon entropy values after the flow through bend(s). Change in slope of straight-pipe pneumatic conveying characteristics along the flow direction is another factor which provided indication regarding change in flow mechanisms along the flow. A new technique for modeling solids friction factor has been developed using a solids volumetric concentration and ratio of particle terminal settling velocity to superficial air velocity by replacing the conventional use of solids loading ratio and Froude number, respectively. The new model format has shown promise for predictions under diameter scale-up conditions.     

粉体性能对浓相气力输送特性的影响

气力输送过程中物料性能是确定输送特性的重要因素,因此,粉料气力输送技术的实现要以对粉料的性能研究为基础。文中对影响气力输送的粉体基本性能及其相关参数做了较全面分析,其中粒子尺寸、粒径分布、形状是影响粉料是否可适用于浓相气力输送的关键参数,其它特性都与这3种特性相关联。介绍了几种应用广泛的粉料气力输送特性分组方法,并进行了简要评述,同时指出了今后的研究方向。     

The effect of oscillating flow on a horizontal dilute-phase pneumatic conveying

ABSTRACT

A horizontal dilute-phase pneumatic conveying system using vertically oscillating soft fins at the inlet of the gas–particle mixture was studied to reduce the power consumption and conveying velocity in the conveying process. The effect of different fin lengths on horizontal pneumatic conveying was studied in terms of the pressure drop, conveying velocity, power consumption, particle velocity, and intensity of particle fluctuation velocity for the case of a low solid mass flow rate. The conveying pipeline consisted of a horizontal smooth acrylic tube with an inner diameter of 80 mm and a length of approximately 5 m. Two types of polyethylene particles with diameters of 2.3 and 3.3 mm were used as conveying materials. The superficial air velocity was varied from 10 to 17 m/s, and the solid mass flow rates were 0.25 and 0.20 kg/s. Compared with conventional pneumatic conveying, the pressure drop, MPD (minimum pressure drop), critical velocities, and power consumption can be reduced by using soft fins in a lower air velocity range, and the efficiency of fins becomes more evident when increasing the length of fins or touching particles stream by the long fins. The maximum reduction rates of the MPD velocity and power consumption when using soft fins are approximately 15% and 26%, respectively. The magnitude of the vertical particle velocity for different lengths of fins is clearly lower than that of the vertical particle velocity for a non-fin conveying system near the bottom of the pipeline, indicating that the particles are easily suspended. The intensities of particle fluctuation velocity of using fins are larger than that of non-fin. The high particle fluctuation energy implies that particles are easily suspended and are easily conveyed and accelerated.     

Investigating Straight-Pipe Pneumatic Conveying Characteristics for Fluidized Dense-Phase Pneumatic Conveying

This article presents results from an investigation into the pneumatic conveying characteristics (PCC) for horizontal straight-pipe sections for fluidized dense-phase pneumatic conveying of powders. Two fine powders (median particle diameter: 30 and 55 µm; particle density: 2300 and 1600 kg m^?3; loose-poured bulk density: 700 and 620 kg m^?3) were conveyed through 69 mm I.D. × 168 m, 69 mm I.D. × 148 m, 105 mm I.D. × 168 m and 69 mm I.D. × 554 m pipelines for a wide range of air and solids flow rates. Straight-pipe pneumatic conveying characteristics obtained from two sets of pressure tappings installed at two different locations in each pipeline have shown that the trends and relatively magnitudes of the pressure drops can be significantly different depending on product, pipeline diameter and length and location of tapping point in the pipeline (indicating a possible change in transport mechanism along the flow direction). The corresponding models for solids friction factor were also found to be different. There was no distinct pressure minimum curve (PMC) in any of the straight-pipe PCC, indicating a gradual change in flow transition (change in flow mechanism from dense to dilute phase). For total pipeline conveying characteristics, the shapes of the PCC curves and the location of the PMC were found to be significantly influenced by pipeline layout (e.g., location and number of bends) and not entirely by the dense-to-dilute-phase transition of flow mechanism. Seven existing models and a new empirically developed model for PMC for straight pipes have been evaluated against experimental data.     

Dynamic analysis of particles in vertical curved 90° bends of a horizontal-vertical pneumatic conveying system based on POD and wavelet transform

The pneumatic system is frequently operated in the high air velocity region, which aggravates the power consumption and erosion of bend, and the dynamic analysis of particles in bends with different radius of curvature in a horizontal-vertical pneumatic conveying system is necessary. This experimental study focuses on the particle motion characteristic of bend on the horizontal-vertical pneumatic conveying in terms of on pressure drop, particle velocity, power spectral characteristics of particle fluctuation velocity, the energy distribution of the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) modes, time coefficients of POD, and spatial mode of POD mode during flowing through bends. The results indicate that the particle rope is the large-scale motion of particles containing high energy, which dominates the motion of particles in the bend, and the suppression of small-scale motion leads to the low pressure drop in a large radius ratio of the bend.     

Analysis of Gas-Solids Feeding and Slug Formation in Low-Velocity Pneumatic Conveying

Gas and solids feeding is a key operation in pneumatic conveying of particulate materials. This article presents an analysis of the interfacing effects between a nozzle gas supplier, a rotary valve solids feeder with dropout box, and the pipeline of a pneumatic conveying test rig for low-velocity dense-phase flow. Experiments were carried out to examine the flow pattern of slugs in different combinations of gas flow conditions and solids loading ratios. The effect of gas and solids feeding on the formation of slugs is analyzed by using both experimental data and computer-modeled results. Solids accumulation and sliding motion at the bottom of the dropout box and near the entrance of the downstream pipe, which happen prior to the bulk motion in the form of a slug, are found important in determining the size of a slug. Gas retention and pressure buildup characteristics in the feed section are also found crucial in influencing the flow patterns of slugs.     

Computational model for prediction of particle degradation during dilute-phase pneumatic conveying: modeling of dilute-phase pneumatic conveying

A complete model of particle impact degradation during dilute-phase pneumatic conveying is developed, which combines a degradation model, based on the experimental determination of breakage matrices, and a physical model of solids and gas flow in the pipeline. The solids flow in a straight pipe element is represented by a model consisting of two zones: a strand-type flow zone immediately downstream of a bend, followed by a fully suspended flow region after dispersion of the strand. The breakage matrices constructed from data on 90° angle single-impact tests are shown to give a good representation of the degradation occurring in a pipe bend of 90° angle. Numerical results are presented for degradation of granulated sugar in a large scale pneumatic conveyor.     

A NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SWIRLING FLOW PNEUMATIC CONVEYING IN A HORIZONTAL PIPELINE

ABSTRACT

A numerical simulation for swirling and axial flow pneumatic conveying in a horizontal pipe was carried out with a Eulerian approach for the gas phase and a stochastic Lagrangian approach for particle phase, where particle-particle and particle-wall collisions were taken into consideration. The k-? turbulence model is used to characterize the time and length scales of the gas-phase turbulence. Models are proposed for predicting the particle source and additional pressure loss. The numerical results are presented for polyethylene pellets of 3.1 mm diameter conveyed through a pipeline of 13 m in length with an inner diameter of 80 mm, solid mass flow rate was 0.084 kg/s, and gas velocity was varied from 10 m/s to 18 m/s. The particle flow patterns, the particle concentration and the particle velocity, and additional pressure loss were obtained. It is found that the particle velocity and concentration has almost same value along flow direction in swirling flow pneumatic conveying. The profile of particle concentration for swirling flow pneumatic conveying exhibits symmetric distribution towards the centerline and the higher particle concentration appears in neighbor of wall in the acceleration region. At downstream, the uniform profile of particle concentration is observed. The particle velocity profile, on the other hand, is uniform for both swirling and axial flow pneumatic conveying. A comparison of the calculations with the measured data shows a good agreement within an average error of less than 15 percent.     

A NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF SWIRLING FLOW PNEUMATIC CONVEYING IN A HORIZONTAL PIPELINE

A numerical simulation for swirling and axial flow pneumatic conveying in a horizontal pipe was carried out with a Eulerian approach for the gas phase and a stochastic Lagrangian approach for particle phase, where particle-particle and particle-wall collisions were taken into consideration. The k-ε turbulence model is used to characterize the time and length scales of the gas-phase turbulence. Models are proposed for predicting the particle source and additional pressure loss. The numerical results are presented for polyethylene pellets of 3.1 mm diameter conveyed through a pipeline of 13 m in length with an inner diameter of 80 mm, solid mass flow rate was 0.084 kg/s, and gas velocity was varied from 10 m/s to 18 m/s. The particle flow patterns, the particle concentration and the particle velocity, and additional pressure loss were obtained. It is found that the particle velocity and concentration has almost same value along flow direction in swirling flow pneumatic conveying. The profile of particle concentration for swirling flow pneumatic conveying exhibits symmetric distribution towards the centerline and the higher particle concentration appears in neighbor of wall in the acceleration region. At downstream, the uniform profile of particle concentration is observed. The particle velocity profile, on the other hand, is uniform for both swirling and axial flow pneumatic conveying. A comparison of the calculations with the measured data shows a good agreement within an average error of less than 15 percent.     

Axial and Radial Pressure Drops of Dense Phase Plugs

An experimental technique to measure various characteristics of plug flow in dense phase pneumatic conveying systems based on the unique characteristics of plug flow, i.e., the fluctuation of axial pressure drop along a pipeline and pressure difference in the radial direction at the back of a plug, was developed by Li et al. (2002). Based on this work, a further experimental study combined with numerical modeling was carried out to describe the structure of plugs through the analysis of the measurements of pressure difference in both axial and radial directions. A theoretical explanation of these pressure differences was proposed and agrees very well with the recorded signals of pressure difference from differential transducers. This explanation will prove useful in understanding plug structures in industrial applications.     

正压浓相恒压输送系统的DCS控制设计及应用

正压浓相气力输送系统是目前国内火电厂应用最为广泛的气力输送系统,该系统对运行的控制流程要求高、逻辑性强;其关键输送技术指标均采用模拟量进行检测,并实时控制.本文介绍的恒压输送系统,除了以上特点外,其独具的输送压力的动态实时调控功能,更是对控制系统提出更高的要求;阐述了DCS用于正压浓相恒压输送系统的典型设计.     

Investigation of Flows of a Gas–Dust Mixture by the Methods of Molecular-Kinetic Theory

Using a direct numerical solution of the Boltzmann kinetic equation the problem of the flow of a gas–dust mixture is investigated with allowance for the motion of the dust. The qualitative analysis made has shown that in describing the flow of gas–dust mixtures it becomes possible to simplify the system of kinetic equations. The dependences of the density, the temperature, and the velocity of the gas on the coordinate have been obtained for different concentrations and velocities of the dust particles.     

Application of an Eulerian granular numerical model to an industrial scale pneumatic conveying pipeline

In this paper, an Eulerian granular numerical model is applied in the modelling of an industrial scale pneumatic-based cement conveying system. Steady-state simulation results are found to match pressure and outlet flowrate values with actual system data. By modifying the inlet pressure and material feed rate, data that predicts the performance of the conveying system have been obtained within the present study. Transient simulations have also been conducted and the results reveal intricate details of the cement flows along the pneumatic pipes and pipe bends. In particular, particle roping behaviour is observed to follow the sides of the wall before, during and after the pipe bends. A sloshing-like cement flow motion is also observed after the cement exits the bend. The concentration distribution of the cement particles is found not only to be partly due to gravitational effects but also the pneumatic pipe configuration. Lastly, close inspection of the secondary flows within the pneumatic pipe shows that their directional changes lead to a corresponding change in the particle roping direction, indicating that particle roping is closely associated with the secondary flow structures induced by the exact pipe configuration.     

An experimental study on a horizontal-vertical pneumatic conveying system using oscillatory flow

To reduce the power consumption of a horizontal-vertical pneumatic conveying system, an oscillator is mounted with a 45° oblique plane through the pipe axis in this study. This experimental study focuses on the effect of oscillatory flow using the oscillator on the horizontal-vertical pneumatic conveying system in terms of the overall pressure drop of the system, power consumption, local pressure drop, and particle velocity. Compared with conventional pneumatic conveying (axial-flow), the pressure drop and power consumption can be reduced using the oscillatory flow in a lower air velocity range. Meanwhile, the particle axial velocity of the oscillatory flow is higher than that of the axial-flow near the bottom of pipe. This outcome indicates that the accelerating effect of oscillatory flow is obvious near the bottom of the pipe, and the particle vertical velocity of the oscillatory flow is positive, whereas the particle vertical velocity of the axial-flow is almost negative. This result shows that the particles of the oscillatory flow are suspended sufficiently, but the particles of the axial-flow have a tendency of deposition. Furthermore, the fluctuation intensity of the particle velocity of the oscillatory flow is higher than that of the axial-flow, especially near the bottom of the pipe.