Solid Flow Transition in Liquid and Three-Phase Fluidized Beds

Flow transition of solids in liquid and three phase fluidized beds of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids have been studied in a 15.2 cm-ID pyrex glass column. The relation between the fluid flow rate and the bed porosity in three phase fluidized beds have been determined in terms of effective volumetric flux of fluid phases from the modification of the Richardson and Zaki's equation. The modified particle Reynolds Number exhibited its maximum value with the variation of bed porosity in liquid and three phase fluidized beds. The drag coefficient changed its slope apparently at the bed porosity where the maximum value of the modified particle Reynolds number could be attained. At the flow transition condition, the continuity wave velocity, energy dissipation rate, and the continuity shock wave velocity found to have their maximum values. Also, the immersed heater-to-bed and wall-to-bed heat transfer coefficients, wall-to-bed mass transfer coefficient, liquid radial mixing coefficient and solid particle diffusivity in the literature data were found to have maximum values at the transition condition of liquid and three phase fluidized beds.     

Study of hydrodynamic characteristics of particles in liquid–solid fluidized bed with modified drag model based on EMMS

Flow behavior of solid phases is simulated by means of Eulerian–Eulerian in a liquid–solid fluidized bed with modified drag model based on energy-minimization multi-scale (EMMS) method. The modified EMMS drag coefficient is characterized by the treatment of the particle-rich dense phase and the liquid-rich dilute phase as the two interpenetrating continua. It was shown that the modified EMMS drag coefficient can predict reasonably the solid concentration profiles in a liquid–solid fluidized bed. The distributions of solid velocity, granular temperature and granular pressure are predicted. The phenomenon of back-mixing near the wall is found in the liquid–solids fluidized beds.     

BUBBLE CHARACTERISTICS IN THREE PHASE FLUIDIZED BEDS OF FLOATING BUBBLE BREAKER

The local bubble phase holdup and vertical bubble length in three phase fluidized beds and the beds of floating bubble breaker have been studied in a 15.2 cm-ID pyrex glass column

The effects of liquid velocity (1-9 cm/s), gas velocity (2-12 cm/s), particle size (1-6 mm) and the volume ratio of the floating bubble breaker to solid particles (0-30 %) on bubble properties at the different bed heights have been determined

The bubble phase holdup increased with gas velocity, volume ratio of floating bubble breaker to solids and particle size along the bed height but decreased with liquid velocity. The vertical bubble length increased with gas velocity along the bed height but decreased with liquid velocity, particle size and the volume ratio of floating bubble breaker to solid particles

The local bubble phase holdup and the vertical bubble length have been correlated with the experimental variables as well as dimension less groups of Froude and Weber numbers.     

A modified drag model for power-law fluid-particle flow used in computational fluid dynamics simulation

A modified drag model for the power-law fluid-particle flow considering effects of rheological properties was proposed. At high particle concentrations (ε_s ≥ 0.2), based on the Ergun equation, the cross-sectional shape and the tortuosity of the pore channel are considered, and the apparent flow behavior index and consistency coefficient of the power-law fluid at the surface of the particles are corrected. At low particle concentrations (ε_s < 0.2), based on the Wen-Yu drag model, the modified Reynolds number for power-law fluid and the relational expression between drag coefficient for single particle and Reynolds number that considers the effect of the flow behavior index are adopted. Numerical simulations for the power-law fluid-particle flow in the fluidized bed were carried out using the non-Newtonian drag model. The effects of rheological parameters on the drag coefficient were analyzed. The comparisons of simulation and experiment show that the modified drag model predicts reasonable void fraction under different rheological parameters, particle diameters, and liquid velocities in both low particle concentrations and high particle concentrations. The increase in flow behavior index and consistency coefficient increases the drag coefficient between the two phases and decreases the average particle concentration within the bed.     

Numerical simulation of flow behavior of liquid and particles in liquid–solid risers with multi scale interfacial drag method

Formation of particle clusters in liquid–solid circulating fluidized beds significantly affects macroscopic hydrodynamic behavior of the system. A multi scale interfacial drag coefficient (MSD) is proposed to determine effects of particle clusters on the mesoscale structure, by taking momentum and energy balance of dense phase, dilute phase and interphase into account. Based on the transportation and suspension energy-minimization method, the multi scale interfacial drag coefficient model used in this work is combined with the Euler–Euler two fluid model to simulate the heterogeneous behaviors of liquid–solid circulating fluidized bed. It was found that the reduction in drag coefficient is at least an important factor for the simulation of clusters formation, and the core-annulus flow is observed in the riser. The liquid–solid flow regime was significantly affected by the down-flow of particles in the form of clusters near the walls of the riser. The calculated concentration of particles inside the riser compared reasonably well with the available experimental data obtained by Razzak et al.     

Particle scale study on heat transfer of gas–solid spout fluidized bed with hot gas injection

ABSTRACT

In this paper, the heat transfer characteristics of a 2D gas–solid spout fluidized bed with a hot gas jet are investigated using computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method. The initial temperature of the background gas and particles in the spouted bed was set to 300?K. The particle temperature distribution after injection of 500?K gas from the bottom, center of the bed, is presented. The simulation results indicate well heat transfer behavior in the bed. Then, statistical analysis is conducted to investigate the influence of inlet gas velocity and particle thermal conductivity on the heat transfer at particle scale in detail. The results indicate that the particle mean temperature and convective heat transfer coefficient (HTC) linearly increase with the increase in inlet gas velocity, while the conductive HTC and the uniformity of particle temperature distribution are dominated by the particle thermal conductivity. The conductive and convective heat transfer play different roles in the spout fluidized bed. These results should be useful for the further research in such flow pattern and the optimization of operating such spouted fluidized beds.     

Effect of flow pulsation on fluidization degree of gas-solid fluidized beds by using coupled CFD-DEM

In this paper, the effect of inlet flow type on fluidization of a gas-solid fluidized bed was studied by using numerical simulations. Gas-solid fluidized beds are widely used in processes such as heating, cooling, drying, granulation, mixing, segregating and coating. To simulate the gas-particle flows, the unresolved surface CFD‐DEM was used considering Eulerian–Lagrangian approach. The fluid phase was modeled by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) while the solid phase was solved by discrete element method (DEM), and the coupling between gas and solid phases was considered to be four-way. The uniform and pulsed flows were injected through three nozzles located at the bottom of a rectangular bed. Three types of pulsed flow were considered: sinusoidal, rectangular and relocating. The fluidized bed behavior was discussed in terms of minimum fluidization velocity (MFV), pressure drop, bubble formation, bed expansion, particles velocity and, gas-solid interaction and particle contact forces. The results of different simulations indicated that the minimum fluidization velocity of the beds fluidized by pulsed flows was decreased by up to 33%. The influence of the pulsation amplitude on the minimum fluidization velocity was more significant than that of the pulsation frequency. The bed expansion and particles average velocity were increased by the pulsed flows, while the pressure drop and interaction force were decreased. As the pulsation frequency increased, the pressure drop and gas-solid interaction force increased, although size of the bubbles and bed expansion decreased. It was also observed that in large vibration frequencies, the bubbles became more regular. In the sinusoidal flow, the velocity and contact force between the particles were initially increased by frequency and in larger frequencies they were decreased.     

Calculation of Drag Force on an Object Settling in Gas-Solid Fluidized Beds

Gas-solid fluidized beds can be used for dry beneficiation of minerals. Estimation of the drag force on separated materials is important for the design and operation of separators. Previous research was based on the empirical correlation or on the hypothesis that fluidized beds behave as a Newtonian fluid. However, much experimental evidence showed that the hypothesis of Newtonian fluid was suspect. The drag forces on spheres passing through fluidized beds were calculated using the Bingham fluid model. The plastic viscosity and yield stress of a fluidized bed can be obtained by measurement of the terminal settling velocity of spheres. The relationship between drag coefficient (C D ), sphere size (d o ), settling velocity (u t ), bed bulk density ( ρ b ), plastic viscosity (µ), and yield stress ( τ 0 ) is expressed as C D = 24/ Re m (1 + 0.15 Re 0.687 m ), Re m = d o u t ρb /(µ + τ0 d o /3 u t The calculated results agree well with the experimental data.     

Calculation of Drag Force on an Object Settling in Gas-Solid Fluidized Beds

Gas-solid fluidized beds can be used for dry beneficiation of minerals. Estimation of the drag force on separated materials is important for the design and operation of separators. Previous research was based on the empirical correlation or on the hypothesis that fluidized beds behave as a Newtonian fluid. However, much experimental evidence showed that the hypothesis of Newtonian fluid was suspect. The drag forces on spheres passing through fluidized beds were calculated using the Bingham fluid model. The plastic viscosity and yield stress of a fluidized bed can be obtained by measurement of the terminal settling velocity of spheres. The relationship between drag coefficient (C D ), sphere size (d o ), settling velocity (u t ), bed bulk density ( 𝜌 b ), plastic viscosity (), and yield stress ( 0 ) is expressed as C D = 24/ Re m (1 + 0.15 Re 0.687 m ), Re m = d o u t 𝜌 b /( + 0 d o /3 u t The calculated results agree well with the experimental data.     

Detecting Sudden Changes in Fluidization by Wall Vibration

Vibrations of fluidized bed walls reflect the nonlinear characteristics of bed hydrodynamics in gas–solid fluidized beds. Experiments were carried out in a lab-scale, two-dimensional fluidized bed operated at ambient conditions for three particle sizes, various gas velocities, three aspect ratios, and different probe locations. The S-statistic method, which is, in fact, the comparison of attractors of two dynamic signals in the state space, was used to determine de-fluidization condition in the bed. Different scenarios were tested to evaluate whether this method is able to detect changes in the hydrodynamics fluidized bed based on the bed vibrations, including change in the bed mass, particle size, and gas velocity. The results showed that this method is capable of detecting the de-fluidization state in the bed as a result of changes in gas velocity, particle size, and bed mass. However, an important factor is the location of probe, which can dramatically affect the capability of this method for detecting the de-fluidization state.     

Experimental investigation of bubble and particle motion behaviors in a gas-solid fluidized bed with side wall liquid spray

Bubble and particle motion behaviors are investigated experimentally in a gas solid fluidized bed with liquid spray on the side wall. The particles used in the experiment are classified as Geldart B particles. The results reveal that when the fluid drag force is less than the liquid bridge force between particles, liquid distribute all over the bed. Bubble size increases as the increase of inter-particle force, then decreases owing to the increase of particle weight with increasing liquid flow rate. When the fluid drag force is greater than the liquid bridge force, liquid mainly distribute in the upper part of the bed. And it is difficult for the wet particles to form agglomerates. Bubble size decreases with increasing liquid flow rate due to the increasing of minimum fluidization velocity. Besides, the acoustic emission (AE) measurements illustrate that the liquid adhesion and evaporation on particles could enhance the particles motion intensity. Consequently, the bubble and particle behaviors change due to the variation in fluidized gas velocity and liquid flow rate should be seriously considered when attempting to successfully design and operate the side wall liquid spray gas solid fluidized bed.     

Two-dimensional CFD simulation of chemical reactions in tapered-in and tapered-out fluidized bed reactors

This article presents a simulation study of tapered-in and tapered-out fluidized bed reactors to investigate the influences of apex angle on the fractional conversion and the pressure drop of the fluidized beds in the presence of two types of chemical reaction with gas volume increase and reduction. The 2D behavior of tapered-in and -out fluidized beds was also compared with a columnar one from fractional conversion and bed pressure drop point of views. To validate the simulation results, the numerical predictions for the expansion ratio and the pressure drop of a tapered fluidized bed were compared with experimental data and good agreement was observed. The obtained simulation results clearly indicate that an apt apex angle exists in tapered-in reactors in which the fractional conversion reaches a maximum value; while the variations of the apex angle slightly affect the fractional conversion in tapered-out fluidized beds. Increasing the residence time of the gas phase in the upper section of tapered-in beds has positive influences on the fractional conversion, while a further decrease in the gas phase velocity in the tapered-in reactors has a negative effect on the fractional conversion. Moreover, higher bed pressure drop was observed in tapered-in reactors than that in the columnar and tapered-out ones.     

Investigating the flow structures in semi-cylindrical bubbling fluidized bed using pressure fluctuation signals

Hydrodynamic characteristics of a gas-solid semi-cylindrical fluidized bed was experimentally investigated and compared with that of a cylindrical bed by analysis of pressure fluctuations. Pressure fluctuations were analyzed in time and frequency domains using standard deviation, power spectral density function and discrete wavelet transform methods. Experiments were carried out in two semi-cylindrical and cylindrical fluidized beds of 14?cm in diameter each, operating in the bubbling fluidization regime at ambient pressure and temperature. Both beds were filled with glass beads of various sizes (120, 290 and 450?µm). The superficial gas velocity was varied in the range of 0.2–0.8?m/s. Results showed that although the minimum fluidization velocity is influenced by the particle size, it is not affected by the geometry of the bed. It was shown that the hydrodynamics of both beds are very similar and the difference is negligible. Number of large bubbles is slightly larger in the semi-cylindrical bed as compared with the cylindrical bed. Also, increase in the particle size and superficial gas velocity result in a greater difference between the number of large bubbles in both beds and the number of large bubbles in the semi-cylindrical bed increases slightly faster than in the cylindrical bed.     

Rate of CO2 adsorbent attrition induced by gas jets on perforated plate distributors in bubbling fluidized beds

Particle attrition is a major challenge when handling bulk solid materials with fluidized beds due to its ability to cause particle loss. Herein, the particle attrition induced by the gas jets on a perforated plate distributor in a bubbling fluidized bed was investigated for CO₂ adsorbent particles. An attrition tube, which used air as the fluidizing gas, was used as the fluidized bed. At a constant fluidizing velocity, the initial static bed height and orifice gas velocity were considered as variables. It was confirmed that abrasion dominated the particle attrition. The trend indicating the change in the maximum size of the particles (d_pm,a) formed by attrition followed that of the attrition rate (i.e., the formation rate of fine particles via attrition). A new stirring factor that combined the model developed by Werther and Xi with the original stirring factor adequately explained the effect of the static bed height on both the attrition rate and d_pm,a when the initial static bed height was greater than the length of the orifice gas jet that penetrated the bed. The attrition rate increased linearly with the new stirring factor. However, d_pm,a increased exponentially with the new stirring factor. Relationships were successfully proposed to enable the estimation of the attrition rate and d_pm,a for the CO₂ adsorbent particles. This study provided the evidence indicating the significance of the effect of bed height on particle attrition induced by the gas jet on the distributor. Moreover, proper models for correlating the attrition rate and the maximum size of the fine particles formed by attrition in the bubbling fluidized bed were provided.     

Bed expansion ratio of mono-sized and binary mixtures in fluidized,spouted, and spout-fluid beds

Studies on bed expansion ratio were carried out in fluidized, spouted, and spout-fluid beds. A single column has been used to compare the characteristics of fluidized, spouted, and spout-fluid beds. Experiments were carried out using air and glass beads under fluidized, spouted, and spout-fluid bed conditions separately to study the effect of gas velocity, bed mass, and particle size on bed expansion ratio. Glass beads of different sizes (0.75, 1.2, 1.7, and 3.075?mm) have been used as solid bed material. Bed expansion ratio was determined for mono-size particles and binary mixtures (different diameter ratios and composition). It was found that the bed expansion ratio decreases with increase in bed mass for only spouting condition and spout-fluidization conditions. The bed expansion ratio increases with increase in bed mass for only fluidization condition.     

Pressure Drop and Gas Holdup Studies in a Spout-Fluid Bed

Spout-fluid beds are used for a variety of processes involving particulate solids. They are employed where the particle agglomeration, dead zones, and sticking of particles to the vessel are the common problems in conventional spouted beds. Applications involved are granulation, coating, drying, combustion, and gasification. In this study, experimental studies have been carried out in a cylindrical Perspex column (0.094 m internal diameter and 1.217 m height) using glass beads and air. The effects of initial bed loading, spout velocity, and background (fluidization) velocity on pressure drop and gas holdup have been investigated. It is found that the minimum spout-fluidizing velocity increases with increase in initial bed loading. The pressure drop and gas holdup increase with increasing bed loading. In spout-fluid bed condition, at a constant spout velocity, as the background gas velocity increases, the gas holdup increases, and it is found to be high for smaller bed loading and is low for larger bed loading at higher velocities. The fountain height increases as spouting velocity increases and it decreases with initial bed loading. The total velocity required to fluidize the particles in spout fluidization is lower in comparison to spouted beds and fluidized beds.     

Viscosity and separation performance of a gas-solid separation fluidized beds

A theoretical model of viscosity in gas-solid separation fluidized beds is established according to the two-phase flow theory of fluidized beds. After comparing theoretical and measured values, the correlation coefficient between the two is as high as 0.99, showing that the model has good predictability for the viscosity of fluidized beds. Meanwhile, the viscosity and its influencing factors were studied using a Brookfield viscometer. The study shows that smaller medium particles (0.074–0.15?mm) can reduce the viscosity of fluidized beds, but they will aggravate the viscosity fluctuation at more than 5?wt% addition, which is unfavorable to the stability of fluidized beds. In addition, in the actual separation process, the external factors (such as moisture and coal powder content) also affect the viscosity of the fluidized beds. Increasing the moisture increases the viscosity of the fluidized bed, whereas coal dust has the opposite effect. In order to ensure the stability of the fluidized bed, the bed moisture content should be controlled below 1?wt%, while the content of coal powder should be limited below 5?wt%. Based on separation tests, reducing the viscosity will improve the separation performance of a fluidized bed at the proper fluidized gas velocity, with the lowest possible error E_p of 0.085.     

Using particle trajectory for determining the fluidization regime in gas–solid fluidized beds

Transition from bubbling to turbulent in a conventional gas–solid fluidized bed was evaluated from trajectory of particles in fluidized bed. A series of experiments were carried out in a lab-scale fluidization bed using radioactive particle tracking (RPT) technique for recording the position of a tracer in the bed. Statistical parameters, such as standard deviation and skewness of the time–position data, were utilized to determine the transition velocity from bubbling to turbulent regime. The results showed that the data obtained by the RPT technique can predict transition velocity. It was shown that the standard deviation of position fluctuations reach a maximum with increasing superficial gas velocity corresponding to regime transition. It was shown that transition from bubbling to turbulent can be determined using skewness and kurtosis of time–position data. The velocities obtained in this work are in good agreement with the available correlations.     

PARTICLE REFLUX IN THE RISER OF A CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED

Particle reflux has a significant influence on heat and mass transfer and gas back mixing in circulating fluidized beds. An novel heat transfer probe to determine the particle reflux region and details of the experimental procedure are presented and discussed in this paper. Results indicate that the particle velocity is one of the most important factors governing heat transfer between the bed and the surface in a circulating fluidized bed.