Online prediction of mass flow rate of solids in dense phase pneumatic conveying systems using multiple pressure transmitters and multivariate calibration

In many industries particulate materials are conveyed pneumatically, and it is both important and challenging to measure the mass flow rate of solids in a gas-solid mixture online.In this article we present some results from experiments carried out on a semi-industrial pneumatic conveying system located at the Department of Powder Science and Technology, Tel-Tek in Porsgrunn, Norway. We have successfully calibrated a regression model which relates the pressure distributions along the pipeline to the mass flow rate of powder. The method for mass flow rate estimation presented in this paper is based on multivariate calibration (chemometrics).Twenty-one pressure transmitters are distributed along the entire length of a pneumatic conveying system. The pressure samples from all transmitters constitute axial pressure distribution signatures, which in this study are used to calibrate a Partial Least Squares Regression model. When the Partial Least Squares Regression model is properly calibrated and validated, the model can be used to predict powder mass flow rate directly from new pressure signatures in the pneumatic conveying system used, under the same conditions of pressure and air flow.The results show that it is not necessary to use all the pressure transmitters available to predict mass flow rate. This paper presents promising results using only 5 pressure transmitters. Pressure transmitters are inexpensive, reliable and easy to use, and are widely used in the industry. This method has been tested with different values of pressure and air flow rates, with equally promising results. All prediction results are validated with independent data.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

气力输送小流量煤粉在线流量超声测量

为了提高煤粉工业锅炉的的清洁燃烧性能,利用超声波检测的优势,开展了小流量煤粉浓度与衰减预测分析,研究了煤粉流量超声在线测量系统。结果表明,对于流量500 kg/h的小流量和60~80μm的小粒径煤粉,超声在线测量系统实现了较精确测量,其称重测量和超声测量的流量误差在5.6%左右。研究表明,在线超声测量法在测量60~80μm小粒径的煤粉流量具有明显优势,该技术的应用将为4 t/h左右的小型燃煤粉工业锅炉的清洁燃烧提供科学的检测手段。     

Mass flow rate measurement in vertical pneumatic conveying of solid

In many industries, powdered materials are conveyed pneumatically, and it is often desirable to measure the mass flow rate of solid while it is in the gas–solid mixture state. The method described was developed on base parallel measurement of velocity of solid and pressure drop. A theoretical model was defined and later validated by experiment.     

高固气比状态下的粉煤气力输送

在自建的气力输送系统上,进行了高固气比状态下粉煤气力输送研究.分别在内径为15、20、32 mm的管道中进行了输送实验,考察了操作参数对粉煤质量流量、固气比、表观气速等气力输送特征参数的影响.结果表明,输送固气比达到200～580 kg•kg^-1;随气体流量增加,粉煤的质量流量增大,而固气比降低;与输送压力的影响相比,管径对粉煤质量流量的影响程度更为显著;给出了基于本系统描述各参数之间相互关系的经验方程,表明较小的气量和较大的输送管径更有利于实现高固气比状态下的粉煤气力输送.     

Experimental study on the solid velocity in horizontal dilute phase pneumatic conveying of fine powders

The calculation reliability of pressure drop and gas-solid drag force in horizontal dilute phase pneumatic conveying strongly depends on the accuracy of gas-solid velocity correlation. However, there are limited studies on the solid velocity in horizontal dilute phase pneumatic conveying and it is important to further validate suitability of existing correlation of gas-solid velocity, especially for fine particles (such as pulverized coal). Consequently, in this paper, a negative pressure pneumatic conveying test rig is set up and two kinds of powders with different sizes are adopted. Optical fiber probe (OFP) was used to measure the volumetric solid concentration and particle velocity. The volumetric solid concentration was also calculated by using the measured particle velocity. The results show that the solid concentrations obtained by the two methods have good agreement, and discrepancy is within ± 20%. It was found the particle velocities are different in the upper and lower part of the cross-section in the horizontal pipe. However, the difference is generally no more than 2 m/s. The velocity difference will decrease with the increasing gas velocity, and increases with the solid mass flow rate. In the experimental condition of 0.06 mm < d_s < 0.35 mm, 1400 kg/m³ < ρ_s < 2600 kg/m³, the implicit correlation based on Yang's Unified Theory gives the best prediction of particle velocity among existing studies but still with noticeable discrepancy with the comparison of the present experimental data. By modifying the solid friction factor, an improved correlation of the particle velocity was obtained, which agrees better with the experimental data given in the present and literature studies.     

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     

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.     

密相气力输送系统的比较

在建材、冶金、化工等行业中,现广泛应用的稀相气力输送技术,其气流速度高、固气比低,耗气量大,且不适用粒径大和相对体积质量大的物料输送。而低速、低压的密相栓流输送新技术,既可在输送过程中实施对物料的加热、冷却和烘干;且当物料速度减少或粉料流量增大时,具有较高的系统稳定性。目前,国内外已相继开发了多种密相栓流气力输送系统,其成栓方式包括有脉冲气刀式、挤压式和重管式等多种,均各具特点。其中,脉冲气刀栓流输送系统在运行时,输送固气比高、耗气量低,且成栓方式简单、有效,应成为密相气力输送设计时优先考虑的系统。     

炭黑浓相气力输送研究

分别采用输送管道长度100和60 m对炭黑N234,N326和N375进行浓相气力输送的试验.试验结果表明,炭黑质量流量随着气体流量的增大而增大,并趋近一个临界值;适宜的流态化仓泵开泵压力为0.08～0.12 MPa,随着输送管道长度的增大,炭黑的破碎率也增大.     

密相气力输送中气固两相流动特性多源信息分析

在加压密相气力输送煤粉实验装置上,结合静电、压力传感器与电容层析成像系统(ECT)3种方法,利用统计学和分形方法研究了不同操作条件(总输送压差、输送载气和煤粉含水率等)下密相气固两相流动力学行为。结果表明:输送载气为CO₂时,颗粒相微观运动剧烈程度随总输送压差(0.3~1 MPa)的增大而增大,气流和颗粒相之间的相互作用在总输送压差0.75 MPa下最强烈,但煤粉宏观整体的流动保持稳定;煤粉含水率增加对宏观流动稳定性没有影响,但水分增加使颗粒相的微观运动剧烈性减小;载气为N₂时,管道截面煤粉的平均浓度及分布变化明显,宏观流动状态不稳定,但颗粒相的微观运动剧烈程度与载气为CO₂时的变化规律一致。     

密相气力输送物料流动状态分析及供料装置的选用

综述了低速密相气力输送中的相图和物料流动形态；介绍了密相输送供料装置（充气罐供料器、螺旋供料充气罐、高压旋转阀供料器）及其应用场合。同时简要分析了物料特性对密相气力输送的性能影响。     

A one-dimensional model of plug flow pneumatic conveying

A one-dimensional model of pulse or plug flow is proposed. This type of flow is observed at high mass ratios of solids to gas and requires gas velocities orders of magnitude less than dilute phase systems. Plug stability criteria are examined by considering the axial interparticle stresses within single plugs and the effect of the radial transmission of these stresses on wall friction. Establishment of the fluid pressure gradient within the plug and the existence of a settled layer of solids in the interplug space are shown to be important requirements. These concepts are used in the formulation of an empirical pressure drop equation which is used in the correlation of experimental data. Comparison of predicted and experimental values is reasonable for the air-sand system considered. The model should be of value in the planning and interpretation of future experimental studies.     

Fluctuations in dense phase pneumatic conveying of pulverised coal measured using electrical capacitance tomography

A twin-plane electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) system has been employed to monitor the flow rate of fine coal transported by air in a 36.8 mm diameter pipe at mass fluxes of 1680 kg/m² s. The mean mass flow rate was obtained to be within <1% of the value determined from load cells. The ECT output indicated that there were two types of systematic fluctuations in the time series of mass flow rate and concentration. The frequencies of these have been obtained from power spectral density analyses. For the higher frequency fluctuations, the Strouhal number (fD_t/u_gs) was found to depend on the square root of the solids/gas momentum flux ratio. An examination of the cross-sectional distribution of solids showed that the coal was concentrated around the wall of the pipe and that the concentration fluctuated as noted above.     

水平分支管路气力输送阻力特性的预测

在水平T型分支管道中,用压缩空气作为输送气体,对平均粒径为0.25 mm和0.5 mm的砂石进行气力输送试验。通过试验和GRNN神经网络对输送表观气速和两分支管路流量控制阀开度发生变化时,各分支管路中的阻力特性进行了研究。结果表明:随着表观气速的逐渐减小和两分支管路流量控制阀开度差值的增加,各分支管路中的阻力特性相应地发生了变化。通过试验值和GRNN网络模拟值的对比,发现试验值和模拟值间相互吻合得较好,说明采用GRNN网络来模拟两分支管路中各自的阻力特性适应性较好。     

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 pressure drop with steady state pneumatic conveying of solids in horizontal pipes

Current relationships for determination of the pressure drop with pneumatic conveying of solids in pipes are not of general validity. The theoretical considerations underlying these relationships do not take into account the influence of the rotatory motion of the particles. On the other hand, extremely high rotatory speeds of the particles due to wall collision are observed.Therefore a new concept is presented which takes into account the rotatory motion of the particles. A further aim was to represent the data in the form of nondimensional groups which allow meaningful, physical interpretation of the results obtained.A state diagram for the prediction of pressure drop with pneumatic conveying in the form of sliding particles strands is described.Calculation of power loss per particle and of the force and the moment acting on a particle leads to a nondimensional representation of pressure drop in which a normalized pressure drop is combined with a particle Froude number and a Froude number which contains the particle fall velocity and the pipe diameter. This combination of nondimensional groups defines fully suspended flow.The normalized pressure drop is defined in such a way that it represents the nondimensional slip of the particles, too.Comparison with pressure drop measurements for pneumatic transport in horizontal pipes which included changes in particle size, particles density and pipe diameter confirms the physical significance of the parameters used with regard to the prediction of pressure drop and of particles slip velocity.A simple procedure for the prediction of pressure drop in the full range of steady-state pneumatic conveying is proposed.     

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.