A Possible Scaling-up Technique for Dense Phase Pneumatic Conveying

In this article experimental findings have been presented to show that the pressure drop coefficient (K) for vertical and horizontal pneumatic conveying for a given bulk material follows a certain pattern. The pressure drop coefficient for vertical pneumatic conveying for a given material has been found to be independent of any variation of particle size distribution, within experimental limits. The pressure drop prediction technique proposed by the authors previously has been validated with the test results of alumina and bentonite.     

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.     

An Experimental Study on Degradation of Maize Starch During Pneumatic Transportation

Although attrition during pneumatic conveying is a common problem, very few publications can be found in the open literature on this subject. The particle-to-wall impact is perhaps the predominant cause of degradation since the particle impinges the wall surface at high velocities in dilute phase pneumatic conveying. The most important factors appear to be the conveying air velocity and moisture content. This article presents the experimental findings of a study on degradation of maize starch during pneumatic conveying process. The tests were carried out in a conveying setup having a pipe length of approximately 50 m and a pipe inner diameter of 50 mm in order to find out the breakage of particles under various airflow velocity conditions and temperatures. Dehumidified air was used during the experimentation, and the air temperatures used during these test were 100°C and 25°C. The experimental results indicated that for a given air temperature condition, the variation of attrition rate was a complex function of air velocity and solids loading ratio. Further, for any start pressure condition, the attrition rate was found to increase substantially with increase in air temperature.     

Effect of Dune Formation on Pressure Drop in Horizontal Pneumatic Conveying System

Pneumatic conveying is widely used in industries handling large amount of granular materials to transport the solid particles; however, the process is energy intensive as an instability of flow sets in the transportation line even in the dilute regime, causing large fluctuations in the line pressure drop, the reason of which is not clearly understood. Here, we investigate, both by experiments and by using numerical simulations, the instability transition regimes and identify the reasons of the fluctuations observed in the line pressure drop in a horizontal pneumatic transport system operating at near-saltation conditions. It is observed that the increase in the pressure drop (immediately after the saltation) is accompanied by the formation of distinct dunes. It is also observed that the line pressure drop depends on the axial location of the dune and shows large fluctuations in the regime where the dunes are unstable. Results obtained from the numerical simulations suggest that the increase in the line pressure drop in the presence of dunes is essentially due to the shear stresses at the dune surface which are larger than that for the flows in clean pipe.     

Evaluation of Scaleup Procedures Using “System” Approach for Pneumatic Conveying of Powders

This article presents results from an ongoing research effort aimed towards developing a validated scaleup procedure for pressure drop for the dense-phase pneumatic conveying of powders. Two existing/popular forms of the “system” approach for scaling up of diameter were evaluated. The validity of the current technique for length scaleup using a “system” approach was also examined. The existing method showed good potential for dilute-phase flow, but resulted in appreciable under-predictions when predicting for dense-phase flow. The effect of bends on the accuracy of the method was also investigated. In this study, steady-state conveying data of four different powders conveyed in various pipes (diameter/lengths) were used for the purpose of scaleup investigations.     

A Pressure Drop Model for Positive Pneumatic Conveying of Flour Through a Vertical Pipeline

A differential equation of motion for gas-flour two-phase flow in a vertical pipe was first derived based on the momentum conservation and by adopting two empirical expressions for the velocity ratio of flour to gas and frictional coefficient between flour and pipe wall, and then a pressure drop model for dilute positive pneumatic conveying of flour through a vertical pipeline was developed by employing the continuity and state equations for gas. The conveying tests were conducted on a positive pneumatic conveying system of flour in a flour mill. Under each of the six different flow conditions, the conveying parameters, such as the flour and gas mass flow rates and the pressure drop between two selected cross sections on the vertical pipeline were measured. The pressure drop between the two selected cross sections was evaluated using the pressure drop model for each of the six flow conditions. The calculated values of pressure drop agree well with the measured data, and it is demonstrated that the model is applicable to vertical positive pneumatic conveying systems of flour.     

CFD modeling of dilute phase pneumatic conveying in a horizontal pipe using Euler–Euler approach

ABSTRACT

Computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed to investigate the behavior of dilute phase pneumatic conveying of plastic pellets in a horizontal circular pipe. The pellets are 200?µm in diameter and 1000?kg/m³ in density. A parametric study was performed to investigate the effects of turbulence model and model collision parameters on pressure drop, solid’s volume fraction and velocity profiles. Among model collision parameters, specularity coefficient has considerable effect on the pressure drop. Moreover, the results from simulations carried out for different solid loadings and velocities were compared with experimental data found in the literature. The air velocities range from 6 to 15?m/s and solids to air mass flow ratios range from 1 to 3. At higher air velocities, the pressure drops predicted by the standard k-omega turbulence model are higher than the pressure drops predicted by the standard k-epsilon model. In contrast, at lower gas velocities, the standard k-epsilon model predicts higher pressure drops compared to the standard k-omega turbulence model. However, no significant difference in solids and air velocity profiles is observed for the two different turbulence models.     

Numerical Study of Air Compressibility During Horizontal Pneumatic Transport

Using numerical simulations, the effect of the compressibility of air on the flow pattern of particles and pressure drop in the presence of particles during horizontal pneumatic transport operating under negative pressure was examined. The length and inside diameter of the pipeline were 30 m and 40 mm, respectively, and the chosen particles (4 mm in diameter) had densities of ρ_p = 1000 and 2000 kg/m³. The mean air velocities at pipe the inlet were U_inlet = 19, 22, and 28 m/s, and the range of the mass flow rate ratios of particle to air, μ, was varied up to 2.0. For a given inlet air velocity, the difference in the flow pattern between compressible and incompressible flow calculation is generally small. For ρ_p = 1000 kg/m³ particles the additional pressure drop in compressible flow increases when μ is above 0.5 and U_inlet is 28 m/s, μ is above 1.3 and U_inlet is 22 m/s, and μ is above 1.5 and U_inlet is 19 m/s. In these cases, the particle flow pattern is homogeneous. For ρ_p = 2000 kg/m³ particles, the pressure drop increases only when μ is above 1.5 and U_inlet is 28 m/s. The difference is not noticeable when the particle flow pattern is heterogeneous. Also, the difference in the additional pressure drop is much larger during homogeneous flow than heterogeneous flow.     

密相气力输送系统中几种气量控制方式的比较

从调压范围、压力特性和流量特性方面介绍了减压阀的主要性能,讨论了气力输送交流中减压阀的选择和调节,分析了密相气力输送系统中各种气量控制方法,对其各自的优缺点进行了详细讨论,重点分析减压阀及减压阀与拉法尔联合气量控制系统的优、缺点,表明可调式拉法尔管是今后气力输送气量控制发展的方向。     

密相气力输灰管道的设计与应用

对气力输灰工程中密相输灰管道的设计和计算确定管内压力和速度的公式进行整理 ,同时可以得到较合理的管径和不同管径的长度。运行参数当已知时 ,给出的计算公式可作为设计的依据     

石灰长距离气力输送系统的试验研究

基于气力输送理论,通过石灰的长距离输送试验系统的建立,研究输送过程中耗气量、管道压力损失、物料输送前后的状态等重要输送特性。结果表明,将气力输送应用在长距离的石灰输送上是完全可行的,可解决钢铁行业的高粉尘污染问题,极大地改善工作环境。     

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.