Mechanism and control of electrification in pneumatic conveying of powders

This paper describes the mechanism and control of electrification in pneumatic conveying of powders by both numerical and experimental approaches. A three-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) was used to analyze the particle movement (collision velocity, number of collision, etc.) in a pneumatic conveying process under various operating conditions. A simplified model that assumed the electrification of a single particle to be proportional to the vertical collision velocity and the number of collision against the pipe wall was proposed and the electrification during conveying of powders was numerically computed. The electrification of particles during the pneumatic conveying was also measured and then compared with the calculated results to confirm the validity of the proposed model. A novel electrostatic charge control system comprised corona discharge neutralizer, electrostatic filed strength sensor, and computer control system was developed and applied to the powder pneumatic conveying process. Dynamic characteristics of electrostatic charge and its elimination process through the corona discharge neutralizer were analyzed. Based on these characteristics, a simplified transfer function composed of first-order lag element including dead time was proposed and optimal control parameters for digital PID (proportional-integral-differential) control was determined. Performance of the control system was also investigated experimentally. It was found that the electrostatic charge in the pneumatic conveying process was completely self-controlled.     

Horizontal slug flow pneumatic conveying: Numerical simulation and analysis of a thin slice approximation

Slug flow horizontal pneumatic conveying of granular materials is a complex phenomenon, involving many interacting properties. Investigating internal properties such as bulk density and bulk material stress, particularly via experiment, is limited by practical considerations. A combined 3D DEM + 2D CFD algorithm is introduced as a complementary means of investigating such properties. Important aspects of the simulation work include the extraction of bulk density, bulk material stress, stress transmission ratio and boundary stress data as functions of time and position in one and two dimensions. Such data is presented and analysed in the context of existing assumptions and a resulting one-dimensional model for bulk material stress within a slug.     

Spherical particle movement in dilute pneumatic conveying

A numerical simulation of a particle in a horizontal pipe has been carried out, and the variation of aerodynamic forces is described. The major forces that control particle motion are drag in the axial direction, and lift due to air velocity gradient and due to spin in the transverse direction. An elastic contact model based on rigid body sliding has been incorporated, which avoids particle settlement without having to use any form of irregular bounce. The results from the simulation agree closely with experimental time-of-flight measurements.     

Effects of an electrostatic field in pneumatic conveying of granular materials through inclined and vertical pipes

The pneumatic transport of granular materials through an inclined and vertical pipe in the presence of an electrostatic field was studied numerically using the discrete element method (DEM) coupled with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and a simple electrostatic field model. The simulation outputs corresponded well with previously reported experimental observations and measurements carried out using electrical capacitance tomography and high-speed camera techniques in the present study. The eroding dunes and annular flow regimes, observed experimentally by previous research workers in inclined and vertical pneumatic conveying, respectively, were reproduced computationally by incorporating a simplified electrostatic field model into the CFD-DEM method. The flow behaviours of solid particles in these regimes obtained from the simulations were validated quantitatively by experimental observations and measurements. In the presence of a mild electrostatic field, reversed flow of particles was seen in a dense region close to the bottom wall of the inclined conveying pipe and forward flow in a more dilute region in the space above. At sufficiently high field strengths, complete backflow of solids in the inclined pipe may be observed and a higher inlet gas velocity would be required to sustain a net positive flow along the pipe. However, this may be at the expense of a larger pressure drop over the entire conveying line. In addition, the time required for a steady state to be attained whereby the solids flow rate remains substantially constant with respect to time was also dependent on the amount of electrostatic effects present within the system. The transient period was observed to be longer when the electrostatic field strength was higher. Finally, a flow map or phase diagram was proposed in the present study as a useful reference for designers of inclined pneumatic conveying systems and a means for a better understanding of such systems.     

Granular size and shape effect on electrostatics in pneumatic conveying systems

In solid processing systems, electrostatic problems are commonly observed for granules composed of various sizes and shapes. However, complete understanding about the functional dependence of electrostatic charge generation and transfer on the particle shape and size distributions has yet to be established. This observation has motivated the present study where novel methods are proposed to examine the effect of particle size and shape distributions on electrostatics. In this work, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) granule (original diameter 3.35-4.1 mm, in the shape of cylinders) was first discharged to remove any residual charges and subsequently its electrostatic charging was studied. Granular size and shape were varied by mechanical attrition conducted in a rotary valve jointly with a pneumatic conveying system. Characterised by induced current, particle charge density and equivalent current of the charged granular flow, granular electrostatics was found to increase with the extent of granular attrition in a continuous recycled pneumatic conveying process. In a separate setup, single particles (collected from the attrited granules formed in the rotary valve) were examined by correlating the extent of charge variation with size/shape. It was found that a dimensionless group, defined by the ratio of charge variation to size variation, is useful in describing the particle attrition process as this parameter increased with decreasing granule size. Smaller granules were found to be the main contributors in the enhancement of electrostatics charge density in bulk particles. By a separate shape analysis, it was uncovered that face shape requiring more shearing actions for its formation tended to give rise to a higher charge variation and so did column geometry. In this fashion, charge variation evaluated for whole attrited granules exhibited good agreement with the temporal variation of attrition weight; this applied for all air flow rates used in the conveying system. Furthermore, there is a reasonably good matching between results obtained by shape and size analyses.By the correlations presented above for single particle electrostatics either by size or shape analysis, charge variation of granular flow matched very well with that measured in the conveying system as well as the attrition process in the rotary valve. As such, the joint granule size and shape analysis has proven to be useful for characterisation of electrostatics in conveying systems where granules are made up of complex combinations of different particle sizes and shapes.     

气力输送弯管中流动特性的试验研究

通过三类弯管形式压损试验，发现了短半径弯头在一个较大料气输送比范围内均产生最小压损，实验数据和理论数据对比分析表明，理论模型计算压损值明显偏大，最后通过设置不同终端条件试验，验证了终端条件对系统工作性能影响。     

Effects of binary particle size distribution on minimum pick-up velocity in pneumatic conveying

Minimum pick-up velocities (U_pu) for entrainments of particle mixtures having binary particle size distributions (PSD) are measured in a horizontal pneumatic-conveying line using the weight-loss method. Geldart's groups A, B, and C glass beads having diameters of 400, 170, 40, and 5 μm are used. Variations in U_pu as a function of particle mass fraction (m) are examined. The capability of empirical correlations of monodisperse U_pu in predicting U_pu of binary mixtures is investigated. For group B particle mixtures (i.e. 400 & 170 μm), the particles are entrained separately resulting in linear U_pu variations with m, which is accurately predicted by the monodisperse U_pu correlation. For mixtures involving group A and B particles (i.e. 170 & 40, 400 & 40 μm), the two particles are collectively entrained resulting in U_pu that vary non-linearly with m and that cannot be predicted by the correlation. For mixtures involving group B and C particles (i.e. 400 & 5, 170 & 5 μm), U_pu are comparable to that of the monodisperse group B particles, therefore they are accurately predicted by the correlation. The significant impacts of binary PSD on U_pu found presently indicates that PSD effects on particle entrainment process warrants further investigations.     

Visual analysis of particle bouncing and its effect on pressure drop in dilute phase pneumatic conveying

During the pneumatic conveying of plastic pellets, it has been observed that materials with similar physical characteristics may develop substantial difference in pressure drop, whose cause is not fully understood. This experimental study focused on the dynamic behavior of the particles during conveying and its influence on pressure drop.The bouncing of the particles during pneumatic conveying in dilute phase was visually analyzed by means of a high speed video camera. The experiments included two different plastic pellets of similar size and density but different modulus of elasticity. The conveying trials were carried out in a 0.052 m I.D. aluminum pipe conveying system approximately 35 m long. The loading was controlled by an airflow control valve and a variable speed drive rotary valve. For each material, a series of tests were performed creating a matrix of six solids rates for five different air velocities. During the conveying trials a high speed video camera was used to record the actual particle motion in a horizontal section with fully accelerated flow. The videos showed significant difference in bouncing between the soft and the hard pellets. The soft pellets showed very random and intense bouncing with strong rotation, which affected the rebound considerably. In fact, some particles bounced even backwards. On the other side, the hard pellets showed significantly less bouncing and rotation.In addition to the high speed videos, in each test the pressure drop was measured in the horizontal and vertical directions. As expected, a significant difference in pressure drop was recorded for the same conveying settings when using the different materials. The pressure drop showed a close relation to the bouncing of the particles, being much higher for the soft pellets.It can be concluded that the increased pressure drop, developed by the soft polyethylene pellets, is in part due to the multiple times the particles must be reaccelerated during their transit through the conveying system. Additionally, the reduction in the average particle velocity increases the drag force. All of this resulted in up to 3-fold increase in pressure drop across the conveying line compared to the hard polyethylene pellets that showed significantly less bouncing.     

Gravity pipe flow of polymeric bulk solids in pneumatic conveying system

Various physical parameters of gravity pipes such as gravity pipe diameter, the inclination of the gravity pipe, the cone angle, temperature of the discharged material and the rate of air counter flow into the gravity pipe were studied. The results obtained from the pipe diameter and cone angle experiments showed that the mass flow rate was proportional to (D-1.4d)^2.5 and also to θ^-0.5. The results from the pipe inclination experiment showed the existence of an angle of inclination for maximum flow, which was also reported by Wieghardt [Uber einige versuche an stromungen in sand. Ingenieur Archived 20, 109-115]. The air flow experiment also showed that the mass flow rate was inversely proportional to the air counter-flow rate, and strongly influenced by the material properties. Results from the temperature experiment showed that the temperature of the material had slight effect on the mass flow rate for the temperature range that was used in the experiment. Flow visualization images showed formation of solid plugs in the pipe that played a part in influencing the behaviour and mass flow rate of solids in the system.     

Electrical capacitance tomography measurements on vertical and inclined pneumatic conveying of granular solids

Pneumatic conveying of granular solids in vertical and inclined risers was studied using electrical capacitance tomography (ECT). The focus of the study was on flow development past a smooth bend connecting the riser to a horizontal duct which brought the gas-particle mixture to the riser. In the vertical riser, dispersed flow manifested a core-annular structure, whose development is discussed. Three different time-dependent flow patterns were imaged. Slugging flow, which appeared to be intrinsic to riser flow, took the form of alternating bands of core-annular disperse flow and a slug with a particle-rich core. Averaging over these two structures yielded a composite distribution with high particle concentration both at the axis and the wall region. Pulsing flow, whose ECT fingerprint was similar to that of slugging flow, was largely an entrance effect. Stationary and moving annular capsules with a dilute core were also observed, and such flow patterns do not appear to have been reported previously. Our ECT measurements probing the development of disperse flow in an inclined riser past a bend revealed that the particle loading initially decreased, subsequently increased and then leveled off. Regimes such as eroding dune flow and flow over a settled layer could be easily imaged using ECT. The surface of the settled layer had a concave shape, suggesting that the particles were picked up from the settled layer by airflow at the center and deposited on the sides of the tube.     

Comparison of flow characteristics for dilute phase pneumatic conveying for two different plastic pellets

A series of dilute phase pneumatic conveying experiments using two different types of plastic pellets has led to the determination and development of distinguishing flow characteristics. Separate experiments on polystyrene and polyolefin pellets captured pressure-drop fluctuations and values at two different measuring points—one at the lower horizontal section of the transporting pipe and another at the upper section and at two different solid-loading ratios for each material.Also, comparison and analysis of the pressure-drop fluctuations and values obtained from the experiments were carried out under the same solid-loading ratio and blower rotational speed for both materials. Basic pressure drop calculations were made to find pressure drop due to pure gas, and that due to the presence of solids using a solid friction factor. In addition, the power spectral density analysis, and the wavelet analysis were conducted for both materials to evaluate the flow characteristics.     

Vertical pneumatic conveying of particle plugs

Dense-phase pneumatic conveying of solids offers many advantages over dilute-phase conveying. The lower air velocities, and, consequently, lower particle velocities, result in lower pipe wear and lower particle attrition. This paper describes an experimental program that has been undertaken to study the flow pattern of cohesionless solids in vertical transport and to measure the parameters influencing the pressure drop required to move a single plug of solids. Highspeed photographic techniques have been used to observe the flow pattern of polyethylene particles (diameter ? 3 mm) in the vertical riser section of a circulating unit constructed from pipes with an internal diameter of 50.8 mm. The flow pattern resembles that of square-nosed slugging in a fluidized bed. The solids move up as “plugs” of bulk solids that occupy the entire cross-section of the pipe. Particles are seen to “rain” down from the back of one plug and then to be collected by the front of the next plug. Collecting these particles causes a stress on the plug front which is transmitted by powder mechanics forces axially through the plug and radially to the wall. The pressure drop required to move a single plug of cohesionless solids through the transport pipeline was measured as a function of the plug length, particle properties, pipe diameter, and the frontal stress. The results of these experiments are compared with a theoretical model.     

Investigation of laminar flow in a stirred vessel at low Reynolds numbers

Many mixing applications involve viscous fluids and laminar flows where the detailed as well as overall flow structures are important. In order to understand the fluid dynamic characteristics of low Re laminar flows in mixing vessels, the flow induced by a Rushton impeller for three Re namely, 1, 10 and 28, was studied both experimentally and computationally. It was found that for the highest Re, the flow exhibited the familiar outward pumping action associated with radial impellers under turbulent flow conditions. However, as the Re decreases, the net radial flow during one impeller revolution was reduced and for the lowest Re a reciprocating motion with negligible net pumping was observed. This behaviour has not been reported in the literature in the past and represents a highly undesirable flow pattern from the standpoint of effective mixing. The CFD results successfully reproduced this behaviour. In order to elucidate the physical mechanism responsible for the observed flow pattern, the forces acting on a fluid element in the radial direction were analysed. The analysis indicated that for the lowest Re, the material derivative of radial velocity near the blade tip is small thus a balance exists between pressure and viscous forces; the defining characteristic of creeping flow. The velocity and pressure forces are in phase because the velocity is driven by the pressure field generated by the rotation of the impeller. Based on these findings, a simplified analytic model of the flow was developed that gives a good qualitative as well as quantitative representation of the flow.     

Signal modelling and algorithms for parameter estimation in pneumatic conveying

Capacitive measurement principles offer a non-invasive approach to determine particle velocity as well as particle concentration in pneumatic conveying. In order to assess the quality of a reconstruction method, it is mandatory to know the prevailing velocity and concentration profiles. For particulate bulk solids transportation, accurate reference systems are either not available or very expensive. Based on measurement data, a signal model of the particle flow is developed for dilute phase and dense phase conveying. These models are used to demonstrate the applicability of proposed algorithms for parameter determination — a cross-correlation technique for dilute phase and a two-step approach using the Fourier transform for dense phase.     

Experimental research of flow patterns and pressure signals in horizontal dense phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal

Understanding flow patterns and their variability is important for optimal design and trouble free dense phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal in a horizontal tube. Employing the electrical capacitance tomography (ECT), six flow patterns were identified and utilized for quantitative analysis based on the value and distribution of cross-sectional solid concentration. The dense-phase flow patterns in the horizontal tube of the pneumatic conveying system were somehow variable even when the operating conditions were unchanged. The probability calculation results suggest changing multiple flow patterns with one or two dominant flow for each of the seven sets of experimental conveying conditions and that a finite change in the dominant flow pattern would occur with an increasing superficial gas velocity. The power spectral density (PSD) function and the Hurst exponent of the pressure signals of the pulverized coal were well correlated with its flow patterns in a horizontal tube. The PSD functions and probability density functions (PDFs) of the void fraction signals from ECT are found to be related with flow patterns and can be used to quantitatively identify flow regimes. The ECT data may therefore be utilized for monitoring the flow patterns in a horizontal tube employed for pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal.     

Prediction of particle charging in a dilute pneumatic conveying system

When particles are transported in pipelines, they acquire electrostatic charges as they come into contact with the pipe wall. Charged particles can cause problems such as particle agglomeration, blockage, and explosion. Understanding the particle charge can help to prevent these issues. This study investigates a technique for predicting the particle charge in a straight pipe of any given length, as well as the pipe length at which electrostatic equilibrium occurs, through experimentation in a short 1‐m pipe section. Experimentation with five different types of particles and four pipe wall materials at longer pipe lengths were used to validate the technique. This predictive technique is applicable to a range of particle shapes and sizes under the restriction that charge transfer is due to impact charging. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 2308–2316, 2013     

Large-scale discrete element modeling in pneumatic conveying

Discrete element method (DEM) is an effective approach to evaluate granular flows, whereas it is hardly used in investigating the design and the operational conditions in industries. This is due to the fact that the number of calculated particles is restricted by the limit of computer memories. In this study, a coarse grain model for large-scale DEM simulations is proposed, where a modeled particle whose size is larger than the original particle is used instead of a crowd of original particles. The coarse grain model is applied to a three-dimensional plug flow in a horizontal pipeline. The plug length, the cycle and the stationary layer area occupation are compared between the coarse grain particle system and the original particle one. The results show that the coarse grain model can simulate the original particle behavior adequately.     

Nonlinear model of pneumatic conveying dryer for economic process control

Abstract

This paper presents a nonlinear dynamic model, suitable for economic process control of pneumatic conveying dryer for drying of food grains. The dynamic model is developed by reshaping the process equations derived for the batch drying, dilute phase, and a negative-pressure conveying system. The dynamic model parameters are identified by numerically solving a nonlinear least squares optimization problem, subject to a set of differential and algebraic equality constraints that describe the system dynamics and bounds in the parameters. A detailed parametric uncertainty and sensitivity analysis are performed providing valuable insight into the influence of critical model parameters on observables, the interplay among various parameter-state-measured disturbances, and quantifying uncertainties in the model. Further, different process economic performance and product quality indicator of uncertain dryer model are studied. The model validation study as performed with the underlying process shows a very good agreement in understanding necessary dynamic characteristics and interplay between the various parameter of interest.     

Micromechanic modeling and analysis of the flow regimes in horizontal pneumatic conveying

Pneumatic conveying is an important technology for industries to transport bulk materials from one location to another. Different flow regimes have been observed in such transportation processes, but the underlying fundamentals are not clear. This article presents a three‐dimensional (3‐D) numerical study of horizontal pneumatic conveying by a combined approach of discrete element model for particles and computational fluid dynamics for gas. This particle scale, micromechanic approach is verified by comparing the calculated and measured results in terms of particle flow pattern and gas pressure drop. It is shown that flow regimes usually encountered in horizontal pneumatic conveying, including slug flow, stratified flow, dispersed flow and transition flow between slug flow and stratified flow, and the corresponding phase diagram can be reproduced. The forces governing the behavior of particles, such as the particle–particle, particle‐fluid and particle‐wall forces, are then analyzed in detail. It is shown that the roles of these forces vary with flow regimes. A general phase diagram in terms of these forces is proposed to describe the flow regimes in horizontal pneumatic conveying. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011