A physical description of solids transport in flighted rotary dryers

In this paper, a solids transport model for flighted rotary dryers is presented. Emphasis is placed on combining statistical and mechanistic modelling efforts to create a physically motivated compartment model involving pairs of perfectly mixed tank reactors linked in a series arrangement. Here, each tank pair, or cell, aims to physically describe a finite slice of a case study industrial rotary sugar dryer, and is hence governed primarily by flight geometry and dryer operational variables such as rotational speed and dryer inclination. Solids flow paths are structured to properly represent the different modes of transport in the rotary dryer, and values of transport coefficients are based on calculated rates of rotational and axial flows. A solids dispersion variable is used to correlate the model residence time distribution (RTD) prediction with available data from a tracer study conducted during industrial operation of a full-scale raw sugar dryer. RTD results from the model show intuitive responses to variations in solids feed rate, rotational speed and drum inclination.     

A Novel Machine Vision Based Image Analysis Method for the Analysis of Mixing Elements in Rotary Drums

Mixing performance in continuous rotary drums has been studied. The video analysis method was developed to evaluate different configurations of straight lifters in the rotary drum. The method converts a captured video into a single image, called stack image. The color marker tracking was estimated based on the color saturation of the stack image. Coefficients of variation and mixing indices were calculated from the color saturation profiles for different straight blade lifter configurations. The video analysis method was confronted to the impulse response of acid concentrations in water solutions. The developed analysis method has been superior with viscous fluids compared to traditional tracer impulse method in mixing evaluations. Water and 1% CMC-water solution were used in this mixing study for covering broadly different viscous materials. The drum lengthwise results for one lifter configuration were obtained from a single experiment due to the block representation of the image analysis method. It enables mixing analysis of axial segments and interaction analysis of mixer configurations. Thus, the axial mixing can be studied in more detail with rotary drums. The increase of lifters, residence time, and tip speed improved axial mixing in the studied experimental setup.     

INDIRECT THERMAL DRYING OF LIGNITE: DESIGN ASPECTS OF A ROTARY DRYER

An investigation of the thermal drying of lignite has been carried out, by using an indirect heat pilot rotary drum. The process aims at the production of dry lignite and clean steam as part of a gasification procedure. Both flighted and bare drum modes have been employed. Temperature profiles along the dryer length, the amount of evaporation (moisture conversion) and the solids residence time distribution (RTD) were measured. A non-isothermal model was tested under three different regimes of solids flow. Model integration, by taking account of experimental amount of evaporation at dryer exit and temperature profiles along the dryer length, has been utilized in the validation of drying kinetics and heat transfer correlations. Model predictions compare satisfactorily with the operating data of an indirect heat industrial lignite dryer. Overall heat transfer coefficients of the pilot rotary dryer were found to agree well with those reported for direct heat dryers.     

滚筒端面对颗粒物料轴向流动特性影响的离散模拟研究

针对碎渣工艺中仅一个端面可随侧壁转动的短滚筒体系，采用离散单元法模拟研究了滚筒轴径比和转动速度对颗粒物料轴向流动特性的影响。模拟结果表明，系统内形成了显著的轴向对流结构：物料层顶部处颗粒物料会朝向滚筒固定端面一侧运动，而物料层趾部区域颗粒则朝向滚筒转动端面一侧运动。低转速条件下，沿物料自由表面由顶部到趾部，颗粒轴向速度呈非对称分布，顶部区域颗粒轴向速度绝对值显著小于趾部区域颗粒轴向速度绝对值；两部分区域颗粒轴向速度绝对值分别在y/R=±0.725处达到极大值，且轴向速度为0的位置并不出现在切向的中间位置。改变滚筒的轴长对这种非对称分布的影响近似可忽略，但是增大滚筒转速会增大颗粒轴向运动速度并逐步减弱这种非对称性。改变滚筒转速，对物料顶部区域颗粒的轴向流动的影响要大于对趾部区域颗粒轴向流动的影响。当滚筒轴径比达到1.2后，滚筒转动端面对物料轴向流动的影响区域不会随滚筒转速的增大而呈现显著变化。这些结果为实际滚筒碎渣工艺的结构优化提供了理论指导。     

The axial dispersion performance of an oscillatory flow meso-reactor with relevance to continuous flow operation

A laboratory scale continuous oscillatory flow meso-reactor was developed and residence time distribution (RTD) studies were carried out in order to establish certain process characteristics of the system. In particular, the dispersion coefficient as a function of the primary variables was established. Using optical probes the axial dispersion was investigated by monitoring the response of a pulse dye tracer at different locations within the meso-reactor. Three cases, net flow without oscillation, oscillation without net flow, and oscillation plus net flow were studied over a range of oscillation frequencies, amplitudes, and net flow rates. Both the imperfect and the perfect pulse injection methods were used to determine the axial dispersion coefficient for the system with and without net flow. The axial dispersion coefficient and the dimensionless dispersion number were analysed in the context of different flow conditions. A correlation was established and demonstrated that the axial dispersion within the meso-reactor could be quantified as a function of flow conditions. The results showed that the laboratory continuous flow meso-reactor was able to produce plug flow with modest axial dispersion over a wide range of parameter space, thereby indicating efficient mixing and effective RTD performance.     

INDIRECT THERMAL DRYING OF LIGNITE: DESIGN ASPECTS OF A ROTARY DRYER

ABSTRACT

An investigation of the thermal drying of lignite has been carried out, by using an indirect heat pilot rotary drum. The process aims at the production of dry lignite and clean steam as part of a gasification procedure. Both flighted and bare drum modes have been employed. Temperature profiles along the dryer length, the amount of evaporation (moisture conversion) and the solids residence time distribution (RTD) were measured. A non-isothermal model was tested under three different regimes of solids flow. Model integration, by taking account of experimental amount of evaporation at dryer exit and temperature profiles along the dryer length, has been utilized in the validation of drying kinetics and heat transfer correlations. Model predictions compare satisfactorily with the operating data of an indirect heat industrial lignite dryer. Overall heat transfer coefficients of the pilot rotary dryer were found to agree well with those reported for direct heat dryers.     

Measurement of residence time distribution in a rotary calciner

Rotary calcination is widely used in catalyst manufacturing and many other industrial processes. In this article, the influence of operational variables and material properties on the mean residence time (MRT), hold up, and axial dispersion was investigated in a pilot plant rotary calciner. Residence time distributions (RTD) of spherical, cylindrical, and quadrilobe catalyst particles were measured and contrasted. The Saeman's model was successfully applied to predict the experimental bed depth and the MRT as particles flowed through the calciner. It was observed that increasing the feed rate did not significantly affect the MRT. Results for the different particles indicated that cylinders and quadrulobes exhibited less axial dispersion than spheres due to the decreased flowability. A reliable method was developed to provide a reasonable RTD prediction in rotary calcination systems. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 59: 4068–4076, 2013     

Experimental study and modeling of residence time distribution in impinging stream reactor with GDB model

Residence time distribution (RTD) in an impinging streams reactor with two or four nozzles was investigated with KCl solution as a tracer. The results showed that the flow pattern in the reactor was close to that in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Macromixing process in the reactor was improved obviously when the opposite nozzles were added. Based on the analysis of flow region in the reactor, gamma distribution model with bypass (GDB) was applied for study on the RTD of the reactor. It was found that RTD in the impinging streams reactor could be finely described by the model. Also the effects of experimental conditions on parameters of model were analyzed according to the correlated values of the model parameters.     

In-situ monitoring of axial particle mixing in a rotating drum using bulk density measurements

A device is described for measuring changes in the local composition of particulate materials in a rotary mixer by continuously monitoring changes in the bulk density. The bulk density is measured using a small cup mounted to the mixer wall that fills with powder during rotation through the bed of particles in the lower part of the mixer. The mass of material in the cup is measured using a load cell during rotation of the cup above the free surface of the particles, and the cup empties before re-entering the particle bed. For mixing of materials with a difference in either particle density, or packing density, the localised bulk density measurement gives a good measure of mixing progress. The measurement device is demonstrated in a 1 m diameter horizontal rotating drum in which two materials are mixed along the axis of the drum. Measurements of the rate of dispersion along the axis are consistent with other work in inclined rotary kilns and can be fitted with a simple diffusion model for the axial mixing of the two species.     

Axial dispersion in the three-dimensional mixing of particles in a rotating drum reactor

Horizontal drum reactors are widely used in industry for the processing of granular material. They are ideally suited for chemical processes that require high temperatures at near-atmospheric pressure. However, the complexities of these reactors have resulted in empirical design procedures that lead to very conservative and costly reactors. This study first reviews critically the extensive literature on experimental results obtained on rotary kilns (without flights) and proposes new design equations for the axial-dispersion coefficient in terms of rotational speed, degree of fill, drum diameter, and particle diameter. A total of 179 data points from the literature, encompassing both the batch and the continuous operational modes, yielded design correlations for slumping, rolling/cascading and cataracting bed behaviours. Additionally, new measurements were made on a pilot-scale rotary drum by tracking a single radioactive particle (emitting gamma-rays) using a battery of nine scintillation counters; these data confirmed the correctness of the proposed design correlations.     

Residence time distribution of a purely viscous non-Newtonian fluid in helically coiled or spatially chaotic flows

This work is dedicated to an experimental study of residence time distributions (RTD) of a pseudoplastic fluid in different configurations of helically coiled or chaotic systems. The experimental system is made up of a succession of bends in which centrifugal force generates a pair of streamwise Dean cells. Fluid particle trajectories become chaotic through a geometrical perturbation obtained by rotating the curvature plane of each bend of ±90° with respect to the neighboring ones (alternated or twisted curved ducts). Different numbers of bends, ranging from 3 to 33, were tested. RTD is experimentally obtained by using a two-measurement-point conductimetric method, the concentration of the injected tracer being determined both at the inlet and at the outlet of the device. The experimental RTD is modeled by a plug flow with axial dispersion volume exchanging mass with a stagnant zone. RTD experiments were conducted for generalized Reynolds numbers varying from 30 to 270. The Péclet number based on the diameter of the pipe is found to increase with the Reynolds number whatever the number of bends in the system. This reduction in axial dispersion is due to both the secondary Dean flow and the chaotic trajectories. Globally, the flowing fraction, which is one of the characteristic parameters of the model, increases with the Reynolds number, whatever the number of bends, to reach a maximum value ranging from 90% to 100%. For Reynolds numbers less than 200, the flowing fraction increases with the number of bends. The stagnant zone models fluid particles located close to the tube wall. The pathlines become progressively chaotic in small zones in the cross section and then spread across the flow as the number of bends is increased, allowing more trapped particles to move towards the tube center. Results have been compared with those previously obtained using Newtonian fluids. The values of the Péclet number are greater for the pseudoplastic fluid, the local change of apparent viscosity affecting the secondary flow. For pseudoplastic fluids, the apparent viscosity is lower near the wall and higher at the center of the cross section. The maximum axial velocity is flattened as the flow behavior index is reduced, inducing a decrease of the secondary flow in the central part of the pipe and an acceleration of it near the wall, which reduces the axial dispersion. These results are encouraging for the use of this system as continuous mixer for complex fluids in laminar regime, particularly for small Reynolds numbers.     

Hydrodynamic Characteristics of a Pilot-Scale Screw Conveyor Dryer

This article presents results of an experimental study on the flow characteristics of a pilot-size screw conveyor dryer (SCD). In particular, the effects of granular solids flow rate (15.2–206 kg/h) and screw speed (10.8–28 rpm) on the residence time distribution (RTD) were studied using sand as the model material. The RTD was measured using a dynamic step change in the solids flow rate. Parameters such as solids holdup, degree of fullness, mean residence time, and uniformity of the discharge flow were studied. The solids holdup and hence the degree of fullness was found to decrease with increase in the screw speed and decrease with the solids flow rate. The mean residence time was found to decrease with an increase in the screw speed, as expected. The screw speed and the solids flow rate strongly affected the discharge uniformity. An optimum value of the degree of fullness was observed with regard to the solids flow rate. Over the operating range examined, the solids flow pattern was close to plug flow, as indicated by high values of N and Pe number.     

Hydrodynamic Characteristics of a Pilot-Scale Screw Conveyor Dryer

This article presents results of an experimental study on the flow characteristics of a pilot-size screw conveyor dryer (SCD). In particular, the effects of granular solids flow rate (15.2-206 kg/h) and screw speed (10.8-28 rpm) on the residence time distribution (RTD) were studied using sand as the model material. The RTD was measured using a dynamic step change in the solids flow rate. Parameters such as solids holdup, degree of fullness, mean residence time, and uniformity of the discharge flow were studied. The solids holdup and hence the degree of fullness was found to decrease with increase in the screw speed and decrease with the solids flow rate. The mean residence time was found to decrease with an increase in the screw speed, as expected. The screw speed and the solids flow rate strongly affected the discharge uniformity. An optimum value of the degree of fullness was observed with regard to the solids flow rate. Over the operating range examined, the solids flow pattern was close to plug flow, as indicated by high values of N and Pe number.     

Solids mixing and residence time distribution in a horizontal rotary drum reactor

For the design of a rotary drum reactor, knowledge of the mechanism of both heat transfer and the dispersion of the solids is important. In this contribution the movement of solids in a horizontal rotary drum is investigated. Residence time distribution measurements were performed in an industrial scale reactor. Also, in model sections of this reactor, the behaviour of solids was studied visually. In the model sections the rotational speed of the drum, the number and height of the strips on the reactor wall and the angle between strip and wall, as well as the degree of filling, were varied.Model sections 0.60 and 1.40 m in diameter were used: the length of the industrial scale drum was 9.0 m, its diameter 0.60 m.Potato starch, particle size range from 15 to 100 μm, was used as the solid material.It was shown that in a drum provided with strips for rotational speeds above 5 r.p.m. and a degree of filling less than 15%, the transverse mixing was virtually completed within 2 revolutions of the drum. At these speeds and degrees of filling the extent of axial mixing is still very low as was shown by the residence time distribution measurements, the length of a mixing unit being 0.1 m or less.     

The ‘Smart’ temperature sphere: Application in rotary drum mixers

This paper demonstrates the capability of the ‘Smart’ sphere to measure a temperature which varies with axial length and time in a non-stationary system such as a rotary drum mixer. The ‘Smart’ sphere is a low-cost, low-power, small, wireless (infrared), self-equipped data logger with a built-in temperature sensor, which moves freely when introduced inside the process and measures the surrounding temperature and subsequently stores measured data in its internal memory. This data is subsequently transferred by wireless means to the computer once the sphere is recovered at the end of the process. The ‘Smart’ sphere, when introduced into the rotary drum mixer, moves with the bulk particles and measures high resolution longitudinal (axial) temperature data. Thus, the capability of free moving measurements by a ‘Smart’ temperature sphere in rotary drum mixers has been experimentally demonstrated and found satisfactory. Moreover, the ‘Smart’ sphere measurement has been compared with the fixed point measurements taken at an instant in the drum. Axial temperature variation measured by the sphere in the rotary drum experiment is in good agreement with the reference temperature measured by the temperature probe. Thus, the ‘Smart’ sphere measurement fills the gaps between the fixed point measurements and provides high resolution temperature data which could be further used for modelling and prediction of such processes.     

白钨矿连续酸浸槽内固体颗粒的流动特性实验及模型研究

以停留时间分布（RTD）为评价指标,对硫磷混酸浸出白钨矿的连续浸出槽内固相颗粒流动行为进行实验研究。同时探究了进料流量、搅拌转速、连续浸出槽中物料进出口位置组合对固相颗粒流动行为的影响。实验结果表明：随着进口流量的增大,一开始槽内的返混程度得到了增强,量纲为1化方差变大,但是继续增大进口流量,进口处物料的横向迁移速度加强,使槽内流体流动趋向平推流,导致量纲为1化方差减小;量纲为1化方差随着搅拌转速的增大而增大,但是此时在槽下部区域会逐渐形成循环死区,槽内死区体积分数随之增大;平均停留时间随着物料进出口位置的变化而发生变化,下进下出的进出料位置组合其平均停留时间最大,且最接近理论平均停留时间。最后利用非理想流动模型来表征实验过程中的停留时间分布,模型拟合的停留时间曲线与实验测量的曲线吻合程度良好。     

Continuous fluidized bed drying: Residence time distribution characterization and effluent moisture content prediction

The mixing and drying behavior in a continuous fluidized bed dryer were investigated experimentally by characterizing the residence time distribution (RTD) and incorporating a micromixing model together with the drying kinetics obtained from batch drying. The RTD of the dryer was modeled using a tank-in-series model. It was found that a high initial material loading and a low material flow rate resulted in a reduced peak height and broaded peak width of the RTD curve. To predict the continuous dryer effluent moisture content, we combined: (a) the drying kinetics as determined in a batch fluidized bed dryer, (b) the RTD model, and (c) micromixing models—segregation and maximum mixedness models. It was found that the segregation model overpredicted the effluent moisture content by up to 5% for the cases we have studied while the maximum mixedness model gave a good prediction of the effluent moisture content.     

自热转化炉停留时间分布

以氢气作为示踪剂,运用脉冲法测定自热转化炉内停留时间的分布。实验结果表明:随着催化剂床层的增高,停留时间分布密度函数变窄,平均停留时间和量纲一方差均减小;当进口气量增大时,平均停留时间减小,量纲一方差增大。应用N个全混流反应器(CSTR)、轴向混合模型和平推流模型串联建立自热转化炉停留时间分布模型,由Laplace变换法和阻尼最小二乘法对模型参数进行估算,模型估计停留时间曲线与实验测量曲线吻合良好。     

Residence Time Distribution Models Derived from Non‐Ideal Laminar Velocity Profiles in Tubes

The theoretical E‐curve for the laminar flow of non‐Newtonian fluids in circular tubes may not be accurate for real tubular systems with diffusion, mechanical vibration, wall roughness, pipe fittings, curves, coils, or corrugated walls. Deviations from the idealized laminar flow reactor (LFR) cannot be well represented using the axial dispersion or the tanks‐in‐series models of residence time distribution (RTD). In this work, four RTD models derived from non‐ideal velocity profiles in segregated tube flow are proposed. They were used to represent the RTD of three tubular systems working with Newtonian and pseudoplastic fluids. Other RTD models were considered for comparison. The proposed models provided good adjustments, and it was possible to determine the active volumes. It is expected that these models can be useful for the analysis of LFR or for the evaluation of continuous thermal processing of viscous foods.