CFD modeling of gas-solid flow and cracking reaction in two-stage riser FCC reactors

The Eulerian-Eulerian approach was applied to simulate the flow behavior and catalytic cracking reactions in the riser reactors of two-stage riser fluid catalytic cracking (TSRFCC) technology. A k-ε-k_p-ε_p-Θ gas-solid turbulent flow model was used, which took account of the particle turbulence and the interaction of turbulence between gas and particle phases. A 14-lump kinetics model was used for simulating cracking reactions. The approach and model were validated with both experimental results and commercial data. The distributions of particle fraction volume and velocity, as well as product yields in the TSRFCC riser reactors were first analyzed. The simulations were then carried out for optimization studies to understand the influence of the operating conditions on the performance of commercial TSRFCC riser reactors. The model and results presented here are valuable for the design and optimization of TSRFCC technology.     

聚合釜传热性能的实验研究及数值模拟

基于CFD模拟与传热实验相结合的方法对5 L夹套聚合釜的传热性能进行研究。建立聚合釜的液固耦合稳态传热模型,获得釜内流体、夹套内流体及金属固体域内温度分布。开展传热实验对模拟结果进行验证,各对比点温度的最大相对误差在1%~5%范围内。通过模拟获得釜内外壁面传热系数及总传热系数,并关联出釜侧及夹套侧 Nu的经验式。结果表明：釜内流体温度分布方差始终在0.002以下,固体域内和传热边界层温度梯度较大,传热边界层厚度约3.8 mm;实验范围内,入口温度和反应放热量对釜内温度的影响显著,入口流速次之,搅拌转速影响最弱;夹套侧传热系数远小于釜侧传热系数,提高夹套侧传热系数是提升传热性能的关键;实验用聚合釜外表面散热量与内外温差呈正比,比例系数约为3.031 W·K ^-1。     

CFD simulations of gas-liquid-solid stirred reactor: Prediction of critical impeller speed for solid suspension

In this work, simulations have been performed for three phase stirred dispersions using computational fluid dynamics model (CFD). The effects of tank diameter, impeller diameter, impeller design, impeller location, impeller speed, particle size, solid loading and superficial gas velocity have been investigated over a wide range. The Eulerian multi-fluid model has been employed along with the standard k-ε turbulence model to simulate the gas-liquid, solid-liquid and gas-liquid-solid flows in a stirred tank. A multiple reference frame (MRF) approach was used to model the impeller rotation and for this purpose a commercial CFD code, FLUENT 6.2. Prior to the simulation of three phase dispersions, simulations were performed for the two extreme cases of gas-liquid and solid-liquid dispersions and the predictions have been compared with the experimental velocity and hold-up profiles. The three phase CFD predictions have been compared with the experimental data of Chapman et al. [1983. Particle-gas-liquid mixing in stirred vessels, part III: three phase mixing. Chemical Engineering Research and Design 60, 167-181], Rewatkar et al. [1991. Critical impeller speed for solid suspension in mechanical agitated three-phase reactors. 1. Experimental part. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 30, 1770-1784] and Zhu and Wu [2002. Critical impeller speed for suspending solids in aerated agitation tanks. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering 80, 1-6] to understand the distribution of solids over a wide range of solid loading (0.34-15 wt%), for different impeller designs (Rushton turbine (RT), pitched blade down and upflow turbines (PBT45)), solid particle sizes (120-) and for various superficial gas velocities (0-10 mm/s). It has been observed that the CFD model could well predict the critical impeller speed over these design and operating conditions.     

CFD analysis of water gas shift membrane reactor

Fuel cell based modular power generation can be achieved by miniaturization and process intensification of equipments in the process. Fuel cells require hydrogen rich gas which can be generated through reforming and water gas shift reaction. The water gas shift reactor being kinetically limited occupies more volume to achieve the required CO conversion. A membrane reactor integrates the reaction and hydrogen separation stages and hence reduces the volume requirement. Computational Fluid Dynamics offers virtual prototyping of the reactor and thus helps in design, optimization and scale up of reactors. In this study customized User Defined Functions (UDFs) were developed to analyze the performance of low temperature water gas shift membrane reactor. The models were validated using literature data for the parameters – synthesis gas compositions, time factor, sweep flow rate and steam to CO ratio. The effect of all these parameters on the reactor was analyzed for CO conversion, H₂ recovery, DaPe, concentration polarization, concentration profiles and conversion index. The simulations have showed that the UDFs developed were capable of simulating the membrane reactor and this can be used for the design and optimization of the membrane reactor for any process conditions.     

CFD方法在固定床反应器传热研究中的应用

固定床反应器是一种常见的化学和生化反应器,由于内部结构十分复杂,固定床内的局部流动和传热过程研究一直是一个颇具挑战性的问题。有效参数法是长期以来固定床传热研究的常用方法,但是由于对固定床内温度场缺乏准确的了解,目前为止许多基于有效参数法的传热模型的普适性仍然存在问题。计算流体力学（CFD）的数值模拟方法是近年来应用于固定床流动和传热研究的一种新的研究方法,它通过数值方法求解流动和传递的微分方程组而获得流场和温度场。CFD数值模拟方法能够提供精确的局部流动和传递信息如速度分布、压力分布、温度分布、组分浓度分布等。本文综述和分析了CFD方法在固定床反应器的流动和传热研究领域的最新进展,讨论了CFD方法在该领域的应用前景。     

CFD analysis of flow pattern and heat transfer in direct contact steam condensation

Direct contact steam condensation used in steam jet injectors, and direct contact feed water heaters, has been studied using CFD simulations. Fairly good agreement has been obtained, with the available experimental data of plume length and the profiles of axial and radial temperature. Further, critical analyses have been carried out for all the published semi-empirical models and correlations. In addition, CFD analysis has been extended to examine the role of nozzle diameter and geometry, on heat transfer phenomenon which governs the direct contact steam condensation phenomenon. A new hydrodynamic model has been formulated which estimates the interfacial area available for condensation. A rational correlation has been developed for the estimation of interfacial area, expressed in terms of Nusselt number (Nu), Reynolds number (Re), Prandtl number (Pr) and ratio of viscosity of steam and water.     

CFD modelling of a “stabilized cool flame” reactor with reduced mechanisms and a direct integration approach

Controlled liquid fuels droplet evaporation under “stabilized cool flame” (SCF) conditions can lead to a homogeneous, heated air-fuel vapor mixture that can be subsequently either burnt or utilized in fuel reforming of fuel cell applications. The work focuses on the numerical modelling of diesel spray evaporation in an “SCF” reactor, operating under atmospheric pressure conditions. An “in-house” developed CFD code is used to predict flow characteristics. The complex oxidative phenomena encountered under SCF conditions are accounted for by implementing two reduced chemical kinetic schemes consisting of five (S5) and seven (S7) active species. Species conservation differential equations as well as reaction and heat release rates provided by the S5 and S7 schemes are solved in each computational cell via a direct integration approach. Comparison with experiments indicates that the implemented computational approach can successfully capture the major characteristics of the reactor's thermal field, especially when increasing air inlet temperatures.     

板翅式换热器翅片通道中流体流动与传热的计算流体力学模拟

针对平直形和锯齿形两种不同翅片类型,利用计算流体动力学(CFD)软件FLUENT对板翅式换热器的微小通道进行了模拟,得出了通道中流体的流动与传热特性.计算结果表明,在相同情况下,平直形和锯齿形翅片中冷热流体的局部传热系数的最大值都出现在入口处;在锯齿形翅片的相邻2个锯齿的交错面上,流体的局部传热系数和压力存在突变,流体的边界层厚度要薄于在平直形翅片中的厚度,流体的局部换热系数要和压损大于其在平直形翅片中的值.     

CFD analysis of low temperature water gas shift reactor

In the design of water gas shift reactors, the performance of catalysts is not known a priori and hence having a general kinetic expression will be of much help. Computational Fluid Dynamic study was carried out to investigate the performance of a packed bed reactor for different feed compositions using five commonly used types of macro kinetic models. User Defined Functions were developed for the reaction rate to predict the CO conversion in the reactor. The effects of temperature and time factor on CO conversion were studied. The Langmuir-Hinshelwood model gave the best prediction for H₂ rich mixtures. The Temkin model was better for higher CO concentrations, whereas the other models gave large deviations for the fixed bed reactor.     

热管换热器流动与传热的CFD模拟及试验

根据热管换热器结构特点及传热特性,建立了热管换热器壳程流动与传热的三维物理模型。模型中引入了多孔介质模型中的分布阻力和分布热源的概念,通过CFD计算软件模拟研究了热管换热器压力降与温度场分布,模拟研究结果与试验结果吻合良好,为热管换热器的进一步理论研究和推广应用提供了依据。     

CFD and experimental investigations on the micromixing performance of single countercurrent-flow microchannel reactor

Microchannel reactors are widely used in different fields due to their intensive micromixing and, thus, high masstransfer efficiency. In this work, a single countercurrent-flow microchannel reactor(S-CFMCR) at the size of ～1 mm was developed by steel micro-capillary and laser drilling technology. Utilizing the Villermaux/Dushman parallel competing reaction, numerical and experimental studies were carried out to investigate the micromixing performance(expressed as the segregation index XS) of liquids inside S-CFMCR at the low flow velocity regime.The effects of various operating conditions and design parameters of S-CFMCR, e.g., inlet Reynolds number(Re),volumetric flow ratio(R), inlet diameter(d) and outlet length(L), on the quality of micromixing were studied qualitatively. It was found that the micromixing efficiency was enhanced with increasing Re, but weakened with the increase of R. Moreover, d and L also have a significant influence on micromixing. CFD results were in good agreement with experimental data. In addition, the visualization of velocity magnitude, turbulent kinetic energy and concentration distributions of various ions inside S-CFMCR was illustrated as well. Based on the incorporation model, the estimated minimum micromixing time tmof S-CFMCR is ～2 × 10~(-4)s.     

Experimental and CFD investigation of convective heat transfer in helically coiled tube heat exchanger

Experimental studies on isothermal steady state and non-isothermal unsteady state conditions were carried out in helical coils for Newtonian as well as for non-Newtonian fluids. Water and glycerol–water mixture (10 and 20% glycerol) were used as Newtonian, and 0.5–1% (w/w) dilute aqueous polymer solutions of Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (SCMC) and Sodium Alginate (SA) as non-Newtonian fluids are used in this study. These experiments were performed for coil curvature ratios as δ = 0.0757, 0.064 and 0.055 in laminar and turbulent flow regimes (total 258 tests). The CFD analyses for laminar and turbulent flow were carried out using FLUENT 12.0.16 solver of CFD package. The CFD calculation results (Nu_i, U, T₂ and Tw_o) for laminar and turbulent flow are compared with the experimental results and the work of earlier investigators which were found to be in good agreement. For the first time, an innovative approach of correlating Nusselt number to dimensionless number, ‘M’, Prandtl number and coil curvature ratio using least-squares power law fit is presented in this paper which is not available in the literature. Several other correlations for calculation of Nusselt number for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, and two correlations for friction factor in non-Newtonian fluids (based on 78 tests and 138 tests) are proposed. These developed correlations were compared with the work of earlier investigators and are found to be in good agreement.     

CFD analysis of microchannel emulsification: Droplet generation process and size effect of asymmetric straight flow-through microchannels

Asymmetric straight flow-through microchannel (MC) arrays are high-performance MC emulsification devices for stable mass production of uniform droplets. This paper presents computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation and analysis of the generation of soybean oil-in-water emulsion droplets via asymmetric straight flow-through MCs, each consisting of a microslot and a narrow MC. We also used CFD to investigate the effects of the channel size and the flow of the dispersed phase on MC emulsification using asymmetric straight flow-through MCs with a characteristic channel size of 5–400 μm. The overall shape of an oil–water interface and the time scale during droplet generation via a control asymmetric straight flow-through MC were appropriately simulated. Better insight was obtained on the flow profile of the two phases and the internal pressure balance of the dispersed phase during droplet generation. Comparison of the CFD and experiment results also provided insight into dynamic interfacial tension during droplet generation. Successful droplet generation was observed below a critical dispersed-phase velocity. In this case, the resultant droplet size was proportional to the channel size and was not sensitive to the dispersed-phase velocity applied. The maximum droplet generation rate per channel was inversely proportional to the channel size, unless the buoyancy force did not promote droplet detachment. The maximum droplet productivity per unit area of an asymmetric straight flow-through MC array was estimated to be constant, regardless of channel size.     

Experimental analysis and CFD simulation of infrared apricot dryer with heat recovery

Drying is one of the easily accessible and the most widespread processing technologies that have been used since ancient times for preserving fruits. Drying is an energy-intensive and time-consuming process, so reducing energy demand is important. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the heat and mass transfer characteristics of product in the drying chamber and in addition to this, three-dimensional (3-D) computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation was performed. The analyses of heat and mass transfer were investigated theoretically and experimentally in infrared dryer (IRD). The dryer consists of air to air heat recovery unit and proportional temperature controller. Experiments were performed at 0.5 and 0.25?m/s air velocities and at 60 and 65°C apricot surface temperatures which were controlled by three thermocouples contacted on top side of the product. In order to use energy more effectively and improve the drying characteristics of apricot, analyses were performed under different drying conditions. Since the heat recovery unit has a key role in this system, the performance of this unit was investigated and recovered energy ratio was between 58 and 62%. The calculated moisture diffusivity values varied from 1.7?×?10^?10 to 1.15?×?10^?9 for apricot, and the highest value of average energy efficiency was obtained as 16.43% at 65°C temperature and 0.25?m/s air velocity. Theoretical and experimental results are in line with each other.     

Determination of heat transfer formulas for gas flow in fin-and-tube heat exchanger with oval tubes using CFD simulations

Plate fin-and-tube heat exchangers operate in a cross-flow arrangement with the complex path of gas flow, hence in order to determine the velocity field and heat transfer characteristics, the numerical methods must be used. The CFD codes allow obtaining local values of the heat transfer coefficient, however it is impossible to incorporate these values into the analytical formulas for the overall heat transfer coefficient, that is fundamental for the designing procedure of the cross-flow heat exchangers. Therefore this paper presents a method for determination of the average heat transfer coefficient for gas flow in a plate fin-and-tube heat exchanger using the CFD simulations. The values of the heat transfer coefficient obtained using the heat transfer formulas for the Nusselt number, determined with the CFD simulations, can be directly implemented in the thermal designing procedure of the cross-flow heat exchangers. The results of the numerical computations are validated experimentally.     

IT-SOFC阳极表面催化反应机理与传递过程的数值模拟与分析

固体氧化物燃料电池(SOFC)具有效率高、污染低、对燃料适应性好、功率大等特点。其性能与工作状态受发生在多孔阳极的化学反应与多种传递过程耦合的影响。基于流体力学方程组和多步基元化学反应模型,建立了描述上述耦合特性的三维数学模型,并自编程序求解分析。结果显示:重整反应主要发生在靠近通道进口的多孔阳极,表面成分Ni_s的覆盖率占70%～80%,其他主要表面成分为CO_s占20%～25%,H_s占6%,O_s占1.5%; Ni_s随工作温度升高而增加;加强吸附基元反应会提高燃料利用率和工作温度;渗透率增加会提高反应气体在多孔介质内的传递效果,但催化反应会因接触不充分而减弱。通过考虑基元反应机理研究表明,在微观层面,催化剂Ni利用率不高,催化反应受温度、化学反应速率常数、孔隙率等参数影响较大。     

Improvement of mass and heat transfer efficiency in a scale-up microfluidic mixer designed by CFD simulation

Due to scale effects, directly enlarging the size of the micromixer is an easy way to reduce the efficiency of mass and heat transfer in the continuous flow chemical process. It is urgently needed to solve the problem of mass and heat transfer efficiency of the scale-up mixer. A scale-up microfluidic mixer with a porous structure was designed to improve the mass and heat transfer efficiency using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The effects of rotation angle, porosity, and baffle spacing were studied to optimize the mixer structure. Compared with the 1 mm mixer without structure, the scale-up mixer has a higher mixing efficiency and an 80% reduction in energy consumption at Re ≥ 700. A Nusselt number was used to evaluate the heat transfer efficiency of the mixer during fluid heating. The results show that the porous baffle promotes the generation of secondary flow and enhances the heat transfer effect, making its Nu increase by three times compared with the unstructured mixer. The scale-up microfluidic mixer with a porous structure can effectively improve the mass and heat transfer performance. This study can provide a reference for the design or development of a novel scale-up mixer.