Evaporation of Distilled Water in a Fluidized Bed of Various Types of Fluidizing Particles Under Reduced Pressure

An objective of this study is to continuously obtain dispersed, dry, fine powders from a dilute suspension of heat-sensitive materials at a low temperature and high drying rate. A fluidized bed under reduced pressure was used in this study and, as a first step, only distilled water (without solid powders) was used as a sample. Drying characteristics were examined for various types of fluidizing particles. The diameter of fluidizing particle varied for inert particles (glass beads). Three kinds of hygroscopic porous particles (silica gel beads; 3A, 4B, and 5D) were also used as fluidizing particles. Under reduced pressures, the maximum drying rate was found to be higher than that at atmospheric pressure, while the bed temperature became lower with an increase in the maximum drying rate (i.e., drying at lower temperature with a higher drying rate is possible under reduced pressures. As diameter of the fluidizing particle was increased, the maximum drying rate became higher, although the amount of gas required for fluidization also increased. The maximum drying rates for silica gel beads were found to be almost equal to those of glass beads, with the exception of 3A silica gel beads (having a smaller pore diameter). The bed temperature was lower for silica gel beads compared to glass beads at the same maximum drying rate (i.e., silica gel beads (hygroscopic porous particles) are superior to glass beads (inert particles) with regard to drying at low temperatures at a high drying rate).     

Effect of Fluidizing Particle on Drying Characteristics of Porous Materials in Superheated Steam Fluidized Bed under Reduced Pressure

The hygroscopic porous particle was used as the fluidizing particle for the superheated steam fluidized bed drying under reduced pressure. A relatively large material was immersed in the fluidized bed as the drying sample. The drying characteristics of the sample were examined experimentally and the results were compared with those in the case of inert particle fluidized bed.

The water transfer from the sample to the fluidizing particle bed in the case of hygroscopic porous particle facilitated the drying regardless of pressure and temperature in the drying chamber. The increment degree of the sample temperature at the earlier period of drying was smaller in the case of hygroscopic porous particle than in the case of inert particle, and the phenomenon was more remarkable in the case of superheated steam than in the case of hot air.     

Effect of Fluidizing Particle on Drying Characteristics of Porous Materials in Superheated Steam Fluidized Bed under Reduced Pressure

The hygroscopic porous particle was used as the fluidizing particle for the superheated steam fluidized bed drying under reduced pressure. A relatively large material was immersed in the fluidized bed as the drying sample. The drying characteristics of the sample were examined experimentally and the results were compared with those in the case of inert particle fluidized bed.

The water transfer from the sample to the fluidizing particle bed in the case of hygroscopic porous particle facilitated the drying regardless of pressure and temperature in the drying chamber. The increment degree of the sample temperature at the earlier period of drying was smaller in the case of hygroscopic porous particle than in the case of inert particle, and the phenomenon was more remarkable in the case of superheated steam than in the case of hot air.     

Drying characteristics of porous material immersed in a bed of hygroscopic porous particles fluidized under reduced pressure

A relatively large wet material was immersed in a fluidized bed of hygroscopic porous particle (silica gel beads) under reduced pressure. And then the drying characteristics were compared with those in the case of inert particle (glass beads). The comparison of drying characteristics is performed experimentally and theoretically. In calculation, the water transfer from the sample to the fluidized bed was considered. The calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental data. The effects of the operational conditions (the pressure in the drying chamber and the temperature of the drying gas) on the drying characteristics were also examined in both fluidizing particles.The drying finishes earlier in the case of hygroscopic porous particle than in the case of inert particle regardless of pressure in the drying chamber, since the water transfer from the sample facilitates the drying in the case of hygroscopic porous particles. The temperature decrement in drying appears in the case of inert particle. This phenomenon is also observed in the case of hygroscopic porous particle, but the decrement degree of the temperature is much smaller than that in the case of inert particle. The difference of the minimum temperature in the sample in drying between the cases of hygroscopic porous particle and inert particle is very slight for different pressures in the drying chamber.     

Drying Characteristics of Carrots Immersed in a Fluidized Bed of Fluidizing Particles Under Reduced Pressure

The drying characteristics and properties (color and shrinkage) of carrots (as a representative agricultural product) were experimentally examined in a fluidized bed under reduced pressure. Dry hot air and superheated steam were used as the drying gases. Rice and carrot powders (0.125–0.355 mm in diameter) were used as the fluidizing particles, in addition to glass beads (0.12 mm in diameter).

It was confirmed that the drying rate using a fluidized bed was much higher than without a fluidized bed (hot-air drying), regardless of the type of fluidizing particles used. Under reduced pressure, both with and without a fluidized bed, the drying rate was higher than that at atmospheric pressure using hot air. The drying rate was sufficiently high for fluidized-bed drying with superheated steam, though the drying rate was higher with hot air than with superheated steam. As the drying temperature increased, the volume ratio (befor/after drying) of the sample increased. At high drying temperatures (373 and 423 K in the present study), the color of the sample changed; in other words, a heat-induced change in the properties of the carrot was observed. At a low drying temperature (333 K in the present study), the drying method did not affect the color of the carrot; i.e., the color of the dried material was maintained even in a fluidized bed under reduced pressure when the drying rate was higher.     

Numerical Analysis of Drying Characteristics of Wet Material Immersed in Fluidized Bed of Inert Particles

The drying characteristics of a relatively large wet material immersed in a fluidized bed of inert particles were examined theoretically. Calculations of heat transfer and evaporation of water on the material surface were included in a discrete element method–computational fluid dynamics (DEM-CFD) simulation. Only the preheating and constant drying rate periods were considered in the simulation.

Our simulation made it possible to calculate the relation between the behavior of the fluidizing particles and the drying characteristics. The drying rate increased with an increase in the number of fluidizing particles in contact with the material and the number of fluidizing particles changed with time; that is, the drying rate fluctuated. When the drying rate increased, the fluid temperature decreased and the vapor content of the fluid increased around the material; that is, the temperature and vapor content of the fluid were associated with the behavior of the fluidizing particles.     

垂直内挡板对流态化流体动力学及谷物干燥特性之影响

The effect of vertical internal baffles on the particle mixing and grain drying characteristics in a batch fluidized bed column is investigated. Experimental work was carried out in a 3 m high rectangular fluidized bed dryer of cross sectional area of 0.15 mx0.61 m at different operating conditions using paddy, a group D particle, as the fluidizing material. The results of the study showed that the fluidized bed dryer system with vertical internal baffles gave better particle mixing effect in the bed of particles than that without vertical internal baffles. This is due to the fact that the vertical internal baffle act as gas bubble breakers by breaking up the large gas bubbles into smaller ones. The smaller bubbles cause a more vigorous mixing in the bed of particles before finally erupting at the bed surface. This improves the contacting efficiency and enhanced the heat and mass transfer of the fluidized bed system. Thus a higher drying rate was obtained in the falling rate period because the higher contactin efficiency increases the evaporation rate at the particle surface. However, the drying rate in the diffusion regiol shows little improvement because the moisture diffusivity does not depend on the contacting efficiency. The fluidized bed dryer with vertical internal baffles could therefore be used in the initial rapid drying stage in a two stage drying strategy for paddy. The insertion of vertical internal baffles into a fluidized bed system improves the processing of Group D particles in a fluidized bed system especially if the system is large in scale.     

Experimental study and simulation of vibrated fluidized bed drying

The paper addresses numerical simulation for the case of convective drying of seeds (fine-grained materials) in a vibrated fluidized bed, analyzing agreement between the numerical results and the results of corresponding experimental investigation. In the simulation model of unsteady simultaneous one-dimensional heat and mass transfer between gas phase and dried material during drying process it is assumed that the gas-solid interface is at thermodynamic equilibrium, while the drying rate (evaporated moisture flux) of the specific product is calculated by applying the concept of a “drying coefficient”. Mixing of the particles in the case of vibrated fluidized bed is taken into account by means of the diffusion term in the differential equations, using an effective particle diffusion coefficient. Model validation was done on the basis of the experimental data obtained with narrow fraction of poppy seeds characterized by mean equivalent particle diameter (d_S,d = 0.75 mm), re-wetted with required (calculated) amount of water up to the initial moisture content (X₀ = 0.54) for all experiments. Comparison of the drying kinetics, both experimental and numerical, has shown that higher gas (drying agent) temperatures, as well as velocities (flow-rates), induce faster drying. This effect is more pronounced for deeper beds, because of the larger amount of wet material to be dried using the same drying agent capacity. Bed temperature differences along the bed height, being significant inside the packed bed, are almost negligible in the vibrated fluidized bed, for the same drying conditions, due to mixing of particles. Residence time is shorter in the case of a vibrated fluidized bed drying compared to a packed bed drying.     

CARBON COMBUSTION RATES AND TEMPERATURES IN SHALLOW FLUIDIZED BEDS

The mechanism of combustion of carbon in shallow fluidized beds at temperatures 750-1000°C is studied by measuring burning rates and temperatures of spherical carbon particles ranging from 2 mm to 12 mm diameter directly in an experimental fluidized bed. Among variables investigated were inert particle size, superficial fluidizing velocity, temperature, the influence of neighbouring active particles and oxygen concentration in the fluidizing gas.

Under the experimental conditions explored, combustion was mainly kinetically controlled, so that with carbon particles larger than about 4 mm, burning rates are significantly higher than those predicted by combustion models which assume combustion to be controlled by the rate at which oxygen diffuses through a stagnant particulate phase surrounding the burning particle. The higher burning rate seems to arise because the greater mobility of particles in the bed causes the restriction to oxygen flow to the carbon surface offered by the particulate phase to be reduced and has important consequences for combustor design.

Measured carbon particle temperatures were influenced considerably by bed operating conditions ranging from 15 to 215°C higher than bed temperature.

Measured burning rates of carbon particles were found to be reduced significantly when other active particles were present in the bed. This sensitivity of burning rate to changes in active particle concentration in the bed was shown to be increasingly important once the concentration of carbon in the bed exceeded about 1%

Increasing the bed inert particle size, superficial fluidizing velocity, oxygen concentration in the fluidizing gas and bed temperature resulted in higher burning rates. The implication of these findings on combustor design are discussed.     

The ignition temperature of lignite char in a fluidized bed combustor

This paper summarises the experimental and modelling work carried out for the variation of bed ignition temperature of a fluidized bed combustor with the char particle diameter and the fluidizing velocity. A lignite char was used and its reactivity was represented using data from Field (1967) and Turnbull and Davidson (1984). The modelling involved solving the steady state heat balance around the fluidized bed combustor at the ignition temperature. A correlation of the total area of char ignited per unit bed mass was determined as a function of the char particle diameter and the fluidizing velocity. This correlation was used to determine the ignition temperature of the fluidized bed combustor operating at different conditions. The fluidized bed combustor heat balance was then solved for the bed ignition temperature which was influenced by both the rate of heat loss from the bed and the reactivity of the char. A sensitivity analysis suggests that the chemical rate reaction coefficient is the most prominent variable when determining the ignition temperature of a fluidized bed combustor.     

CARBON COMBUSTION RATES AND TEMPERATURES IN SHALLOW FLUIDIZED BEDS

Abstract

The mechanism of combustion of carbon in shallow fluidized beds at temperatures 750-1000°C is studied by measuring burning rates and temperatures of spherical carbon particles ranging from 2 mm to 12 mm diameter directly in an experimental fluidized bed. Among variables investigated were inert particle size, superficial fluidizing velocity, temperature, the influence of neighbouring active particles and oxygen concentration in the fluidizing gas.

Under the experimental conditions explored, combustion was mainly kinetically controlled, so that with carbon particles larger than about 4 mm, burning rates are significantly higher than those predicted by combustion models which assume combustion to be controlled by the rate at which oxygen diffuses through a stagnant particulate phase surrounding the burning particle. The higher burning rate seems to arise because the greater mobility of particles in the bed causes the restriction to oxygen flow to the carbon surface offered by the particulate phase to be reduced and has important consequences for combustor design.

Measured carbon particle temperatures were influenced considerably by bed operating conditions ranging from 15 to 215°C higher than bed temperature.

Measured burning rates of carbon particles were found to be reduced significantly when other active particles were present in the bed. This sensitivity of burning rate to changes in active particle concentration in the bed was shown to be increasingly important once the concentration of carbon in the bed exceeded about 1%

Increasing the bed inert particle size, superficial fluidizing velocity, oxygen concentration in the fluidizing gas and bed temperature resulted in higher burning rates. The implication of these findings on combustor design are discussed.     

Influence of Particle Size on Vacuum–Fluidized Bed Drying

The effect of particle size on the vacuum–fluidized bed drying process was experimentally studied using pepper seed particles with two distinct diameters. In the constant drying rate period, the small particles demonstrated stronger drying rates resulting from higher mass transfer coefficient values and larger contact area for per unit particle humidity.

The experimental results also showed that the falling drying rate period was controlled in the beginning by the particle diameter and later by the effective porosity of the particle. Consequently, in the beginning of the falling drying rate period the small particles presented higher drying rates, whereas toward the end of the period, the large particles, with higher effective porosity, produced stronger drying rates than the small ones.

The effects of the vacuum pressure and the superficial gas velocity throughout the process were only observed in the constant drying rate period, whereas the higher operating temperatures enriched the drying rates in both periods.     

Transient Thermal Behavior and Stress Development within a Cylindrical Wooden Disk during Drying in a Fluidized Bed Dryer

Thermal behavior and stresses developed in a wood particle are predicted using a mathematical model formulated for drying in fluidized bed. Drying experiments have been carried out on 10 mm long and 30 mm diameter cylindrical disks at a bed temperature of 403 K (130°C). Drying time, mass reduction, and shrinkage during drying have been measured and used to validate the thermal model. The stress model is validated with an analytical solution available in literature. The drying time is experimentally found to be 630 s. The wood particle shrinks by 4.6% in the radial direction and by 1.0% in the longitudinal direction. The model indicates splitting failure at the circumference, which was also noticed during experiments.     

Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Drying of Carrots in a Fluidized Bed with Energy Carrier

A pilot scale fluidized bed dryer with an inert energy carrier (steel, glass beads ranging from 2.7 to 6.5 mm) was used to investigate the drying of carrots. The effects of sample diameter, inert material type, inert material diameter, amount of inert material, air velocity, and temperature on the rate of drying were studied. A mathematical model was proposed for predicting the drying rate and temperature of drying material. It was found that presence of inert particles enhance the rate of drying. The results of this study also revealed that, although the rate of drying increases with decreasing sample diameter, increasing the inert material thermal conductivity, and increasing air temperature, but the inert material diameter and air velocity have no significant effects on the rate of drying. The independence of rate of drying on air velocity especially in well-fluidized systems indicates that external diffusion is not a controlling step in this process. Also the presence of inert materials causes the drying material to reach more rapidly to its final internal temperature.     

Drying of water treatment process sludge in a fluidized bed dryer

The drying characteristics of water treatment process (WTP) sludge were investigated with a fluidized bed. The equilibrium moisture ratio of WTP sludge increased with relative humidity and decreased with temperature of drying air. However, equilibrium moisture ratio of WTP sludge was more sensitively dependent on relative humidity than temperature of drying air. When the sludge was dried in a batch fluidized bed, the drying rate of sludge decreased as the moisture ratio of sludge in the bed decreased. The periods of constant drying rates were apparently not observed on the drying rate curves. In addition, the maximum drying rates were increased with bed temperature and superficial air velocity. As the fluidized bed was operated continuously, the degree of drying of WTP sludge increased with bed temperature but was weakly dependent on superficial air velocity. However, the drying efficiency was decreased with bed temperature and relatively insensitive to superficial air velocity and increased with feed rate of sludge.     

Drying characteristics of millet in a continuous multistage fluidized bed

The effects of gas velocity, inlet gas temperature and the solid feed rate on the drying efficiency, the outlet solid moisture content, bed temperature in each stage, the outlet gas humidity and temperature in a rectangular acryl multistage fluidized bed (0.172 m×0.192 m×1.5 m-high) with a downcomer (0.04 m-I.D.) were investigated. The experiments were performed by using 1.9 mm millet particles. The final moisture contents of the solids increased with increasing the solid feed rate. The drying efficiency increased with increasing the wetted solid feed rate but decreased with increasing the inlet gas temperature. The drying performance of the multistage fluidized bed was compared with the single-stage fluidized bed and found to be superior under identical operation conditions. The model predicted values were well matched with the experimental data in the multistage fluidized bed dryer. This paper is dedicated to Professor Dong Sup Doh on the occasion of his retirement from Korea University.     

60米高矩形截面循环流化床内物料分布冷态试验

为研究超高提升管内的气固流动特性,依托四川白马电厂600MW超临界循环流化床锅炉现有钢架,将原有60m高的提升管冷模试验台的上部20m改为矩形截面的循环流化床提升管试验台。本文重点研究了提升管流化风速对上部颗粒浓度的轴向/截面分布特性及其影响因素。试验结果表明：颗粒浓度和颗粒粒径的分布特性与流化风速和几何结构密切相关,在一定初始床料高度下,随着风速的增加,提升管上部的空隙率沿轴向先不变然后减少,并最终呈现倒C形分布;截面浓度从均匀分布逐渐变为近短边壁处的颗粒浓度要明显大于近长边壁处的不均匀分布;平均颗粒粒径则随风速的增加而增大,沿截面分布均匀,但是沿提升管高度方向平均颗粒粒径沿轴向会略微减小,且提升管上部近短边壁的颗粒粒径要稍小于近长边壁的。     

顶喷流化床中干燥过程研究

本文对用于造粒和包涂过程的顶喷流化床内的干燥过程进行了较为详细的实验和理论研究。从传质传热过程中分析可知，床层可分为三段。影响生产能力的最大允许喷淋速度受流化空气流量和入口温度影响最大。     

Drying Behavior of Carrots Dried in a Spout–Fluidized Bed Dryer

The effect of water blanching treatment and the inlet air temperature on drying kinetics as well as the quality attributes of carrot cubes dried in a spout–fluidized bed dryer at 60, 70, 80, and 90°C were analyzed. The material shrinkage and the rehydration potential were calculated to assess the changes in quality of dried carrots. It was found that the value of the air velocity during the drying of carrot cubes in a spout–fluidized bed dryer should be related to the moisture content of the carrot particles. A high value of air velocity at the beginning of the drying cycle and a lower value for the later stages were also required. The linear equation was correlated to the data of shrinkage of raw and blanched carrots. Blanching significantly influenced the coefficients in the shrinkage model derived for drying of carrot cubes in a spout–fluidized bed dryer, while drying temperature did not influence the shrinkage of carrot particles. The intensity of heat and mass transfer during spout–fluidized drying of carrot cubes was dependent on the drying temperature. A correlation was developed to calculate the values of effective moisture diffusivity of dried carrot cubes as a function of the moisture content and temperature of the material. It was observed that for any given time of rehydration, both the moisture content and the rehydration ratio calculated for samples dried at 60°C were higher than for samples dried at temperatures of 60, 70, 80, and 90°C.