三维电容层析成像传感器优化及循环流化床提升管轴向流动成像

由于多相流流动的复杂性和不透明性,对气固两相流循环流化床提升管轴向行为研究一直是亟待解决的难题。本文采用八截面三十二电极的三维电容层析成像（ECT）传感器,每个截面包含4个电极,分析了在不同轴径比（轴向长度与传感器内径之比）和不同电极覆盖率下的成像情况。仿真结果表明,当轴径比为8.3、电极覆盖率达到69%时,在保证成像质量的情况下达到最大的轴径比。开发了一套32通道的三维ECT数据采集系统用于流化床提升管流动成像,成像速度为每秒120帧。成像结果表明,当流化气速U_f为2.34m/s时,段塞流在加速上升到一定高度后,由于气速和颗粒速度差降低带来的曳力减小而破裂。本系统可以有效揭示循环流化床（CFB）的三维动态特征。     

Dynamics of segregation and fluidization of binary mixtures in a cylindrical fluidized bed

Dynamics of segregation and fluidization of unary particles and binary mixtures in a cylindrical fluidized bed is investigated using temporally– and spatially–resolved measurements of solids volume fraction (α_s) performed using Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT). Through the comparison with high-speed imaging, we have shown that ECT can be used to measure the segregation behavior in cylindrical fluidized beds quantitatively. ECT measurements have been used further to quantify the effects of mixture composition, particle–diameter ratio, and superficial gas velocity on the bed segregation behavior. Dynamics of fluidization behavior is characterized using the time–evolution of local α_s fluctuations, corresponding frequency distribution, and bubble size distribution. Further, a relation between the measured variance of α_s fluctuations at different radial locations and corresponding flow structures under different fluidization conditions is established. The present work helps to understand dynamics of segregation and fluidization of binary mixtures and to provide a database for validation of Eulerian multifluid CFD models.     

Demarcation of a new circulating turbulent fluidization regime

Transient flow behaviors in a novel circulating‐turbulent fluidized bed (C‐TFB) were investigated by a multifunctional optical fiber probe, that is capable of simultaneously measuring instantaneous local solids‐volume concentration, velocity and flux in gas‐solid two‐phase suspensions. Microflow behavior distinctions between the gas‐solid suspensions in a turbulent fluidized bed (TFB), conventional circulating fluidized bed (CFB), the bottom region of high‐density circulating fluidized bed (HDCFB), and the newly designed C‐TFB were also intensively studied. The experimental results show that particle‐particle interactions (collisions) dominate the motion of particles in the C‐TFB and TFB, totally different from the interaction mechanism between the gas and solid phases in the conventional CFB and the HDCFB, where the movements of particles are mainly controlled by the gas‐particle interactions (drag forces). In addition, turbulence intensity and frequency in the C‐TFB are significantly greater than those in the TFB at the same superficial gas velocity. As a result, the circulating‐turbulent fluidization is identified as a new flow regime, independent of turbulent fluidization, fast fluidization and dense suspension upflow. The gas‐solid flow in the C‐TFB has its inherent hydrodynamic characteristics, different from those in TFB, CFB and HDCFB reactors. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009     

Deep learning-based tomographic imaging of ECT for characterizing particle distribution in circulating fluidized bed

The gas and solids in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) are heterogeneously dispersed and a multiscale flow regime may form both in time and space. Accurate measurement of the fluidizing process is significant for investigating the multiscale gas–solid flow characteristics and the design, optimization, and control of CFBs in various applications. This article develops a deep learning-based tomographic imaging of electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) to characterize the particle concentration distribution in a CFB. The deep tomographic imaging approach is realized through training a well-designed convolutional neural network (CNN) with the numerically built dataset. Simulation results demonstrate that the average values of the relative image errors reconstructed by CNN in the test set are 0.1110 and 0.1114 for the 60 and 100 mm pipes, respectively, which are better than the average values of 0.1819 and 0.2519 by the Landweber algorithm. With the verification of the trained model based on the prepared data can image the unseen typical flow patterns better than Landweber, it is further used to investigate the particle flow characteristics of a lab-scale CFB. Experimental results reveal that the developed deep tomographic imaging of ECT can successfully measure the fluidized particle distribution in both the 60 and 100 mm pipes, showing good prediction and generality of the designed CNN model. A flow regime transformation from “annular” flow to “core-annular” flow and pneumatic conveying is observed under the tested conditions. Besides, the flow regime would be highly affected by the fluidized gas flow rate and the initial bed height.     

Effect of annular fins on heat transfer of a horizontal immersed tube in bubbling fluidized beds

Experiments were conducted in a bubbling air-fluidized bed to investigate the effect of annular fins of constant thickness on heat transfer. Steady state time averaged local heat transfer coefficient measurements were made by the local thermal simulation technique in a cold bubbling fluidized bed (90 mm ID, 260 mm tall) with horizontally immersed tube initially with no fin and then with three fixed annular fins of constant thickness. Silica sand of mean particle diameter 307 μm and 200 μm were used as the bed materials. The superficial velocity of air was from minimum fluidization conditions, u_mf, to approximately 3 × u_mf. The results indicate that, although the heat transfer coefficient falls with the use of fins, the total heat transfer rises as a result of the greater surface area. Increasing the particle diameter reduces the heat transfer coefficient not only for unfinned horizontal tube but also for annular finned horizontal tube at the same conditions of fluidized bed. Based on the experimental data, correlations are proposed for predicting heat transfer coefficient from fluidized bed to horizontally immersed tubes with and without fins.     

几种典型铁矿粉的流化特性

利用内径150 mm的D型有机玻璃流化床模型,对澳矿、巴西矿、北方矿和钒钛矿典型铁矿粉的流化特性进行了实验研究,获得了其流化特性曲线、初始流化速度和最大床层压降,并将初始流化速度的实测值和理论计算值进行了比较分析. 结果表明,矿粉粒度是影响其流化特性的最主要因素,粒径越大,床层所需要的初始流化速度越大,实测值和理论估算值基本相符;粒度小于0.125 mm钒钛矿流动性较差,在流化过程中易出现沟流现象;粒度范围较宽的矿粉,完全流态化时,细矿粉随气流夹带逸出明显;在粒度相同的情况下,几种不同的铁矿粉的开始流化速度接近,而床层压降有较大差异,巴西矿的床层压降明显大于其他三种铁矿粉. 最大床层压降的最小值均出现在粒度为0.25~0.425 mm,为铁矿粉流态化还原过程中较适宜的粒度范围.     

Measurement of fluidised bed dryer by different frequency and different normalisation methods with electrical capacitance tomography

To investigate the effect of moisture content, excitation frequency and normalisation model on image reconstruction with a fluidised bed dryer, an electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) sensor was mounted near the bottom of the drying chamber. An ECT system based on an HP4128 impedance analyser was used to measure capacitance and loss conductance between the electrode pairs in the sensor. It has been found that the capacitance depends on not only the particle moisture but also the excitation frequency. With a low moisture content, the relationship between capacitance and frequency is simple and linear. With a high moisture content, however, the relationship becomes more complex and non-linear. For image reconstruction, different normalisation models have been used: series, parallel, Maxwell and Böttcher models. The results show that with a low moisture content, these models give nearly the same image errors. With the increase in moisture content, the difference between these models becomes more and more obvious. With different gas-solids flow patterns, the four models also give slightly different images. In the end of this paper, solids distribution and averaged solids concentration profile for dynamic test with different excitation frequencies in a fluidised bed dryer are given.     

Characterization of flow regime transition and particle motion using acoustic emission measurement in a gas‐solid fluidized bed

Particle motion is a major determinant of the dynamical performance of a fluidized bed. It plays an important role in determining and optimizing the complex correlation of fluidization condition between particle‐particle and particle‐environment in a system. A passive acoustic emission (AE) technique is applied to monitor, characterize, and control the fluidization condition of polyethylene particles in a gas‐solid fluidized bed. Experimental results show that AE signals are very sensitive to the particle movements by analyzing energy distribution, which can help to understand the status of the system. The AE energy temporal analysis is further used to identify the transition of flow regimes. Moreover, the activity of particle motion can be quantitatively determined by using a combination of granular temperature and AE spatial energy analysis. This work provides valuable insights into the dynamic behavior of particles in a gas‐solid fluidized bed based on AE technique. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010     

气-固微型流化床压降特性及最小流化速度的实验研究

在内径3~20 mm的4个气?固微型流化床中,分别考察了A类和B类两种类型颗粒的流化特性,同时研究了床几何结构、操作条件、物相性质等各因素对其最小流化速度的影响。结果表明,气?固微型流化床中的床层压降特性与颗粒类型密切相关,不同的流动状态下两种类型颗粒的流动特性存在显著地差异。在固定床阶段,与B类颗粒相比,A类颗粒与壁面间的相互作用更强,导致实验压降值偏离计算值更大;在流化床阶段,较大颗粒粒径和密度的B类颗粒在床层内表现出了更高的气泡聚并和破裂程度,加剧了颗粒间的碰撞,增加了能量损失,从而形成了较高的实验压降。气?固微型流化床的最小流化速度除了与操作条件和物相性质有关外,床内径与静态床层高度对其也会产生显著影响。随着床径减小及静态床高增加,最小流化速度逐渐增加。综合考察各影响的因素,提出了适用于实验考察范围内预测微型流化床最小流化速度的经验关联式。     

Particle‐scale simulation of the flow and heat transfer behaviors in fluidized bed with immersed tube

A kind of new modified computational fluid dynamics‐discrete element method (CFD‐DEM) method was founded by combining CFD based on unstructured mesh and DEM. The turbulent dense gas–solid two phase flow and the heat transfer in the equipment with complex geometry can be simulated by the programs based on the new method when the k‐ε turbulence model and the multiway coupling heat transfer model among particles, walls and gas were employed. The new CFD‐DEM coupling method that combining k‐ε turbulence model and heat transfer model, was employed to simulate the flow and the heat transfer behaviors in the fluidized bed with an immersed tube. The microscale mechanism of heat transfer in the fluidized bed was explored by the simulation results and the critical factors that influence the heat transfer between the tube and the bed were discussed. The profiles of average solids fraction and heat transfer coefficient between gas‐tube and particle‐tube around the tube were obtained and the influences of fluidization parameters such as gas velocity and particle diameter on the transfer coefficient were explored by simulations. The computational results agree well with the experiment, which shows that the new CFD‐DEM method is feasible and accurate for the simulation of complex gas–solid flow with heat transfer. And this will improve the farther simulation study of the gas–solid two phase flow with chemical reactions in the fluidized bed. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009     

Enhancement of mass transfer in the fluidized bed electrode reactors

With the view of developing the fluidized bed electrode system, mass transfer coefficient, overpotential distribution, and copper degradation have been observed in this investigation. Particles whose diameters were one of 327, 388, 510, 548, 750, and 960 μm were fluidized by the 1,000 ppm copper sulfate electrolyte. This study used two types of the experimental reactor. One had 5x5.5 cm bed-dimension with various thickness in a rectangular side-by-side configuration; the other 3.2 cm bed-diameter with various height in a cylindrical flow-through configuration. Mass transfer coefficient increased with increasing particle diameter, and the optimum fluidization was obtained at the condition of bed porosity near 0.65. For processing a large fluidized bed reactor, the expansion of bed height at a distance between electrodes was found to be more effective than the enlargement of bed thickness between electrodes. By replacing a three-dimensional current-feeder with a plane feeder, degradation and residual concentration of copper ion in a batch recycling mode could be achieved to be higher than 99% and less than 5 mg/L, respectively.     

柱形流化床传热特性的数值模拟

对Shedid等搭建的圆柱体流化床采用欧拉?欧拉法进行三维数值模拟,考察了颗粒球形度、表观进气速度和床料初始堆积高度对流化床内垂直加热壁面与流动床料之间对流传热特性的影响,采用有效导热系数分别计算气相和固相的对流传热系数。结果表明,随表观进气速度增大,流化床内颗粒物料湍流运动加剧,加热壁面平均温度和流体平均温度下降,壁面流体间传热平均温度差减小,壁面流体间对流传热系数增大;随初始床料高度增加,流化床内颗粒与加热壁面的接触面积增大,导致固相平均对流传热系数增大。     

Investigation of gas–solids flow characteristics in a conical fluidized bed dryer by pressure fluctuation and electrical capacitance tomography

It is important to investigate the gas–solids flow characteristics of fluidized bed drying processes to improve the operation efficiency and guarantee the product quality. This paper presents research into fluidized bed drying processes measured by high-frequency differential pressure fluctuation and electrical capacitance tomography (ECT). Power spectra analysis is combined with dynamic calibration for ECT to reveal the complex gas–solids flow behavior. Bubble characteristics are visualized by cross-sectional and quasi-3D ECT images. In addition, results by discrete wavelet transform analysis are given and compared with the analysis results of previous sections. It has been found that bubbles would coalesce in different ways under different operation conditions, and discrete wavelet transform sub-signals of ECT measurements are sensitive to particle moisture. This work reveals the complex hydrodynamic behavior in the fluidized bed dryer and provides valuable information for process control.     

Numerical and experimental study on spout elevation in spout‐fluidized beds

The effect of elevating the spout on the dynamics of a spout‐fluidized bed, both numerically and experimentally is studied. The experiments were conducted in a pseudo‐two‐dimensional (2‐D) and a cylindrical three dimensional (3‐D) spout‐fluidized bed, where positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) were applied to the pseudo‐2‐D bed, and PEPT and electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) to the cylindrical 3‐D bed. A discrete particle model (DPM) was used to perform full 3‐D simulations of the bed dynamics. Several cases were studied, that is, beds with spout heights of 0, 2, and 4 cm. In the pseudo‐2‐D bed, the spout‐fluidization and jet‐in‐fluidized‐bed regime, were considered first, and it was shown that in the spout–fluidization regime, the expected dead zones appear in the annulus near the bottom of the bed as the spout is elevated. However, in the jet‐in‐fluidized‐bed regime, the circulation pattern of the particles is affected, without the development of stagnant zones. The jet‐in‐fluidized‐bed regime was further investigated, and additionally the experimental results obtained with PIV and PEPT were compared with the DPM simulation results. The experimental results obtained with PIV and PEPT agreed mutually very well, and in addition agreed well wtih the DPM results, although the velocities in the annulus region were slightly over predicted. The latter is probably due to the particle‐wall effects that are more dominant in pseudo‐2‐D systems compared with 3‐D systems. In the jet‐in‐fluidized‐bed regime, the background gas velocity is relatively high, producing bubbles in the annulus that interact with the spout channel. In the case of a non elevated spout, this interaction occurs near the bottom of the bed. As the spout is elevated, this interaction is shifted upwards in the bed, which allows the bubbles to remain undisturbed providing the motion of the particles in the annulus near the bottom of the bed. As a result, no dead zones are created and additionally, circulation patterns are vertically stretched. These findings were also obtained for the cylindrical 3‐D bed; although, the effects were less pronounced. In the cylindrical 3‐D bed the PEPT results show that the effect on the bed dynamics starts at h_spout =1 4 cm, which is confirmed by the ECT results. Additionally, ECT measurements were conducted for h_spout =1 6 cm to verify if indeed the effect happens at larger spout heights. The root mean square of the particle volume fraction slightly increased at h_spout =1 2 cm, whereas a larger increase is found at h_spout = 4 and 6 cm, showing that indeed more bubbles are formed. The presented results have not been reported so far and form valuable input information for improving industrial granulators. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 2524–2535, 2012     

内循环快速流化床流动特性研究

建立了一种新型的内循环流化床并实现了快速流态化运转，根据轴向和径向颗粒浓度的测定结果，分析了气固环隙流动和圆管流的差异，经实验数据关联，得到了曳力系数比值Ｃ＿ｄ／Ｃ＿（ｄｓ）随浓稀相极限颗粒浓度的变化趋势；实验中还考察了颗粒浓度受操作条件及物性参数的影响结果，并与传统空管快速床进行了比较。     

Numerical investigation of gas-solid heat transfer in rotating fluidized beds in a static geometry

Gas-solid heat transfer in rotating fluidized beds in a static geometry is theoretically and numerically investigated. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the particle bed temperature response to a step change in the fluidization gas temperature are presented to illustrate the gas-solid heat transfer characteristics. A comparison with conventional fluidized beds is made. Rotating fluidized beds in a static geometry can operate at centrifugal forces multiple times gravity, allowing increased gas-solid slip velocities and resulting gas-solid heat transfer coefficients. The high ratio of the cylindrically shaped particle bed “width” to “height” allows a further increase of the specific fluidization gas flow rates. The higher specific fluidization gas flow rates and increased gas-solid slip velocities drastically increase the rate of gas-solid heat transfer in rotating fluidized beds in a static geometry. Furthermore, both the centrifugal force and the counteracting radial gas-solid drag force being influenced by the fluidization gas flow rate in a similar way, rotating fluidized beds in a static geometry offer extreme flexibility with respect to the fluidization gas flow rate and the related cooling or heating. Finally, the uniformity of the particle bed temperature is improved by the tangential fluidization and resulting rotational motion of the particle bed.     

Measurement of the particle movement in the fountain region of a Wurster type bed

A non-intrusive technique to follow single particles in the fountain region of a spouted bed with draft tube, the Wurster coater, is developed and tested. Compared to other techniques found in literature, the measurement technique presented here is easy to handle, inexpensive and suitable for particles with a diameter down to 500 μm. The measurements are performed in a laboratory scale Wurster bed constructed of Plexiglas to allow optical access to the flow. A small quantity of the particles in the bed are marked with fluorescence. A UV lamp is used to excite the fluorescence and the marked particles are followed with a high-speed video camera equipped with an optical filter. A single marked particle in the fountain can be followed in 5-30 images in sequence at a frame rate of 125 fps. The particle position and velocity are calculated. The distribution of the particle trajectories maximum height is studied for different particle loading, jet air velocity and position of the Wurster tube. The technique can be used for the characterization of differences in process dynamics due to different operating conditions.     

Numerical simulation on fluidization characteristics of tobacco particles in fluidized bed dryers

Three-dimensional simulations have been carried out to examine the gas–particle flow behavior of tobacco material in a fluidized bed dryer. The Euler–Euler model has been used to study the distribution of particles in the fluidized bed dryer. The simulation results indicate that tobacco particles usually concentrate in the near-wall region, and there exists a maximum particle concentration in the feed pipe. The predictions on the regions with high concentration of particles in the fluidized bed dryer agree well with the experimental findings. Moreover, this kind of dynamic particle aggregation might lead to particle clusters, and investigations of the particle motion and mixing behavior in the simulated systems indicate that there are particle clusters during fluidization. The diverse nature of clusters enriches the flow behaviors of particles and consequently leads to the macro-scale heterogeneity featuring fast fluidization: dilute at the top and dense at the bottom in the axial direction as well as the core–annulus structure in the radial direction. Therefore, the particle clusters is one of the key problems in drying processes, which must be known for understanding the material distribution inside the dryer, as well as for the system design of fluidized bed dryers. According to the results, some improvements on the fluidized bed dryer have been brought out and the relative numerical experiments have been performed. The numerical experiments show that the improvements can realize better uniformity and lead to a decrease in the particle concentration, which provides useful ways to solve the clustering problem.     

流化床声发射机理及其在故障诊断中的应用

引　言流化床反应器能否长期稳定运行是一个十分严重的挑战 ,如果不彻底掌握流化质量的控制规律 ,对诸如强放热聚合反应过程 ,床层中流化粒子易于聚集、结块 ,甚至导致流化床崩溃而被迫停车 .因此 ,流化床故障诊断一直是工业界和学术界共同面临的难题 .流化系统一旦出现故障就会有反映流动规律本质的特征物理量出现较大变化以至突变 ,只是有些物理量对这些变化存在空间或时间上的不敏感性 .如压力信号就存在时间上的不敏感性 ,即往往压力信号出现显著变化时 ,床层流化质量已无法通过改变操作条件来改善 ;而光纤测量则存在空间上的不敏感性 ,…