Numerical Study of the Effect of Particle Size on the Coating Efficiency and Uniformity of an Electrostatic Powder Coating Process

This paper reports on a research project that studies the effect of particle size on the coating efficiency and coating uniformity in a powder coating system using the computational fluid dynamics as a modelling tool. The numerical simulations are conducted for different particle sizes with different distances between the spray gun and the coating part and different positions of the powder spray gun pattern adjuster sleeve (PAS). This study can provide detailed information on air flow pattern and particle trajectories inside the powder coating booth, and the coating film thickness on the coated part as well as the particle transfer efficiency (PTE). In numerical simulations, the air flow field is obtained by solving three‐dimensional Navier‐Stokes equations with standard κ‐ϵ turbulence model and non‐equilibrium wall function. The second phase, the coating powder, consists of spherical particles that are dispersed in the continuous phase, the air. In addition to solving transport equations for the air, the trajectories of the particles are calculated by solving the particle motion equations using the Lagrangian method. It is assumed that particle‐particle interaction can be neglected. The electrostatic field is modelled by solving the Laplace equation.     

Experimental study of particle trajectory in electrostatics powder coating process

Experimental studies of particle trajectory were conducted in an isolated Plexiglass coating booth. Polyester particles were injected with a Norsdon® electrostatics spray gun with a fixed distance from the gun to a grounded plate. Using a Dantec® Particle Dynamic Analyzer, the particle velocity and size distribution were measured simultaneously. The experimental results showed that the effect of electrostatics charging on the particle trajectory is strong in the close vicinity of the target, but can be neglected at locations away from the target. The influence on particle size and velocity profile due to the electric field between the charged particles and grounded target was weakened as more particles deposited on the target. When no charge is introduced on the coating powder, particle segregation is observed for particles larger than 100 μm. Particle gravitational settlement is noticed even near the gun tip. However, particle charging largely eliminates the segregation at a gun-to-target distance of 25 cm and helps break agglomerates formed in the spray system. The gun-to-target velocities of larger particles exhibited noticeable deviation from those of the flow field as the grounded target was approached. The study revealed that the onset of electrostatic coating is an important period that can affect the transfer efficiency and film thickness.     

Numerical investigation of coarse powder and air flow in an electrostatic powder coating process

The work presented here reports on the numerical simulation of an electrostatic powder coating process that uses a commercial computational fluid dynamic code, FLUENT v6.1. The purpose of this study was to understand the gas and particle flow fields inside a coating booth under given operating conditions and the effect of particle sizes on its trajectories and the final coating quality. The air and powder particle flows in a coating booth were modeled as a three-dimensional turbulent continuous gas flow with solid particles as a discrete phase. The continuous gas flow was calculated by solving Navier-Stokes equations including the standard k − ε turbulence model with non-equilibrium wall function and the discrete phase was modeled based on the Langrangian approach. Since the solid phase volumetric fraction was less than 0.1%, the effect of particle-particle interaction on particle trajectories was not taken into account. In addition to drag force and gravity, the electrostatic force including the effect of space charge due to the free ions was considered in the equation of motion and implemented using user defined scalars and functions. The governing equations were solved using the second order upwind scheme. Information was provided on the particle trajectories with respect to the particle diameters that could be used to develop suitable operating conditions for the use of fine powders in a powder coating process.     

汽车涂装灰粒和纤维缺陷产生原因与对策

主要从喷房洁净度、枪衣、格栅、墙壁凡士林、喷房温度、喷房湿度和粉尘颗粒、打磨灰尘、黏性抹布纤维等因素入手,阐述了灰粒、纤维的产生原因,从而归纳出环境、涂料、涂装工艺等方面控制灰粒和纤维的方法。     

粉末涂装工艺的改进及效率提高方案

分享了海沃氏使用先进涂装设备提高生产效率的经验:快速换色粉房ColorMax系统的使用使整个换色时间由1 h减少到4 min 20 s,Encore粉末喷枪的应用克服了传统喷枪存在的粉末涂出量、带电效果及雾化效果不稳定的问题,单级回收粉房的应用使粉末上粉率达到98%以上。新设备工艺技术的使用在提升产品品质的同时有效地控制了生产成本。     

超音速火焰喷涂粒子热力特性模拟与合理喷涂距离的确定

应用射流理论,建立了超音速火焰喷涂喷枪外焰流速度和温度计算的简化平衡模型,模拟了喷涂粒子全程加速加热过程,确定了合理的喷涂距离。研究了粒子大小和材料种类对粒子热力特性和合理喷涂距离的影响。对喷涂20～60μm的WC-12Co硬质合金和Ni粒子,合理的喷涂距离约为0.13 m。喷涂材料种类对合理的喷涂距离影响不明显。大粒子表现出一定的热、力滞后性。粒子密度和比热容是影响粒子热力行为的主要因素。     

A Three-Dimensional Numerical Study of the Gas/Particle Interactions in an Industrial-Scale Spray Dryer for Milk Powder Production

Gas/particle interaction plays an important role in modern spray dryers and may have influences on wall deposition, agglomeration, powder degradation, etc. In the present study, the three-dimensional (3-D) transient multiphase flow in an industrial-scale spray dryer has been investigated using the CFD package FLUENT. The Eulerian–Lagrangian approach and two-way coupling method were used in the simulations. The reaction engineering approach (REA model) for milk particles has been implemented. Some new characteristics of the gas flow pattern and the particle behavior (e.g., temperature–time profiles) were identified from the numerical results; for example, the milk particles flow in such a way that makes the central jet oscillation more nonlinear. The discrete phase enhances the turbulence near the air/droplet inlet but damps it downstream. The transient turbulent flow causes significant uncertainties in the particle tracking, which presented some challenges in simulations. The study has highlighted the importance in performing 3-D transient simulations in order to understand the industrial-scale dryers.     

Effect of process conditions on spray dried calcium carbonate powders for thermal spraying

Powder preparation is an important stage in the production of thermal spray coatings with the desired characteristics. An important powder feature is flowability, which can be adjusted through particle morphology, particle size and size distribution. Combined, these features dictate the quality of the coating produced. To increase a powder's flowability, spherical particles within a particular size range are ideal. One way to achieve this is through spray drying. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of spray drying process parameters on the physical properties of calcium carbonate powder, with the goal of producing large, spherical particles ranging between 50 and 100 μm in preparation for thermal spray experiments. A key aspect was the use of ethanol to aide in the production of large spheres. A 2³ factorial design of experiments (DoE) was utilised to study the following process parameters: gas flow rate, feed flow rate and solids loading. The resulting powders were characterised in terms of particle size, morphology and production yield. Porous, hollow, spherical particles were produced in a suitable size range for thermal spraying, which was attributed to the rapid evaporation of ethanol. Statistical analysis was utilised to interpret trends between the spray drying parameters and powder characteristics quantitatively.     

Formation of a Polymer-Coated Inclusion Complex of D-Limonene and β-Cyclodextrin by Spray Drying

The polymer-coated inclusion complex powder formation of D-limonene and β-cyclodextrin obtained by spray drying was investigated with respect to the effects of various types of polymer coating agents on the powder particle size and morphology. The addition of the polymer coating agent affected the average particle size, morphology, and internal structures of the spray-dried powders. The average particle diameter of the uncoated spray-dried powders was approximately 5 µm. The powder particle size increased upon the addition of a polymer coating reagent. With the addition of 9 wt% of the polymer coating agent, an average diameter of approximately 80 µm was obtained for the spray-dried powder particles. However, further addition showed a negligible effect on the particle size. Inclusion complex crystals were observed on the surface and inside of the powder particles.     

Computational study of particle in-flight behavior in the HVOF thermal spray process

A computational framework is developed for the multiphase flow in a high velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) thermal spray coating process with steel powders as the feedstock. The numerical model includes continuum-type differential equations that describe the evolution of gas dynamics and multi-dimensional tracking of particle trajectories and temperature histories in the turbulent reacting flow field. The numerical study shows that the particle temperature is strongly affected by the injection position while the particle velocity is less dependent on this parameter. Moreover, both particle velocity and temperature at impact are strongly dependent on particle size, although the spatial variation of these two variables on the substrate is minimal. It is also found that not all the particles are deposited on the substrate perpendicularly (even if the spray angle is 90°), due to substantial radial fluid velocities near the stagnation point. A statistical distribution of particle velocity, temperature, impinging angle and position on the substrate as well as particle residence time is obtained in this work through independent random tracking of numerous particles by accounting for the distributed nature of particle size in the feedstock and injection position as well as the fluctuations in the turbulent gas flow.     

Fines Loadings in Milk Powder Plants with Washable Baghouses

Washable baghouses are increasingly used to filter the small size fractions of milk powder, known as fines, which become entrained with spray dryer outlet air streams in milk powder plants. Surprisingly, very little is known about the quantity of powder that becomes fines, an important parameter for both the control of agglomeration rates and washable bag-house design. A convenient method is reported here that gives estimates of the fines fraction (the ratio of fines flow to total powder flow), using powder size distributions of samples from around the plant. This method was checked against isokinetic sampling using a thimble filter to independently determine powder flow rates. Results showed that that the fines fractions ranged from 49 ± 8% to 86 ± 2% depending on the powder type and plant operating conditions. These values are much greater than what was traditional thought (10–20%). Also, as part of this study results were compared with those from an online optical scintillation instrument. It was concluded that the newly developed particle size distribution method is a simple and reliable way to estimate spray dryer fines fractions, yet is sensitive enough to detect changes in operating conditions.     

不同干燥方式制备白果粉的性能比较

天然产物白果会因干燥方式的不同,而使得干燥白果粉性能有所差别。本研究分别采用喷雾干燥(SP)与真空冷冻干燥(FD)对白果浆进行干燥处理。然后对两种干燥白果粉的性能(含水量、颗粒度、色泽、蛋白质质量分数)进行对比来比较各自的优越性。喷雾干燥采用参数:风量120 m³/h,进料浓度8%(质量分数),进气温度205℃,出气温度100℃,雾化器转速32000 r/min。真空冷冻干燥先在-40℃下预冻4h后,再在真空度300 Pa下-50℃低温干燥48 h。结果发现含水量SP相似文献   

Study of the numerical instabilities in Lagrangian tracking of bubbles and particles in two-phase flow

In the context of the Lagrange approach, used in numerical simulations of two-phase flow, the discrete elements that constitute the dispersed phase are tracked through the fluctuating fluid field by solving their equations of motion. It has been shown previously [Laín, S., & Göz, M. F. (2000). Instabilities in numerical simulations of dispersed two-phase flow. Mechanical Research Communication 27, 475; Laín, S., & Göz, M. F. (2001). Numerical instabilities in bubble tracking in two-phase flow simulations. International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos, 11 (4), 1169] that widely used discretization methods for integrating the particle equation of motion in bubbly flows may lead to artificial instabilities and, eventually, yield spurious oscillations and chaotic behavior via period-doubling bifurcations. The purpose of this paper is the extension of these previous investigations to consider dispersed two-phase flow laden with solid particles, which can be heavier or lighter than the fluid in which they are immersed. As a result, the numerical techniques applied to integrate the particle or bubble equation of motion are quite stable in the case of heavy particles but must be used very carefully when applied to the tracking of bubbles or light solid particles in a fluid. In addition, sound criteria are established for choosing optimal time steps to simultaneously avoid numerical instabilities and guarantee code efficiency, in contrast to the usual but naive trial and error approach.     

Helping to choose operating parameters for a coating fluid bed process

The feasibility of solid particles coating in a fluid bed with a Wurster tube is studied for several types of particles and aqueous coating solutions. The model products are wheat semolina, beads of glass, alumina, resin polystyrene, plastic PMMA, with a size range between 125 and 1250 μm and densities between 500 and 2500 kg m⁻³. The chosen coatings are representative of those used for the food products, such as maltodextrin, acacia gum, and sodium chloride in aqueous solution.

The air flow rate suitable for a regular circulation of particles in the reactor is determined for each particle type. For each coating solution, the flow rate leading to agglomeration is considered as the maximal limit flow rate to use for coating. Then comparative coating experiments were realized.

For a similar initial load of particles, the same mass of coating was atomized (13.5 g min⁻¹) at 50 °C. The mass of coating deposit on particle surface is increased linearly during an atomization sequence lasting 33 min. For example, for every 100 g of alumina particles, the rates are 0.48, 0.51, and 0.53 g min⁻¹ for sodium chloride, maltodextrin, and acacia gum, respectively. We then obtain a coating efficiency between 87% and 98%.

In the specific case of sodium chloride on glass beads, the deposit of crystallized salt was linear during 10 min then stopped. Addition of acacia gum (50%) to the NaCl coating solution leads again to a linear deposit over 65 min.     

进料位置与风速对旋风分级器颗粒分级效果的影响

根据旋风分级器内气流速度分布特点进行了进料区域划分,运用非稳态离散相模型和分级实验对比了3个代表性进料位置对颗粒运动轨迹及分级精度的影响,分析了1 μm和10 μm颗粒在不同区域内的受力情况。结果表明,边壁区域进料造成粗组分中细粉夹带现象严重,分级精度差;中部进料区域内流场强度大,粗颗粒受离心力强,细颗粒受轴向气流曳力大,有利于减少颗粒在分级区的停留时间,实现粗、细颗粒的快速分级,对改善分级精度有利;中心位置进料延长了粗颗粒的分级运动路程,增加了粗组分跑损的概率,模拟计算15 μm的粗颗粒进入细组分的质量分数达到11.7%。经实验验证,入口气速在10～22 m·s^-1,中部区域进料时分级后粗、细组分粒度分布曲线重合区面积最小,分级粒径比率值平均提高了25.3%,研究结果为离心气流分级设备的进料位置设计提供了一定的指导。     

Direct Numerical Simulation of Kinematics and Thermophoretic Deposition of Inhalable Particles in Turbulent Duct Flows

Three-dimensional, incompressible turbulent air-particle flows in a channel with a temperature gradient are simulated by direct numerical simulations (DNS). The calculations used the fractional projection method to directly solve the Navier-Stokes equations. For obtaining more accurate results, the Oberbeck-Boussinesq model was used for considering the convective heat transfer and applied two-way coupling between the particles and the air phase to accurately simulate flow field state. The particles motions including mutual collisions were calculated with the direct simulation Monte-Carlo method (DSMC). The particles agglomeration and deposition in the turbulent channel flow with a temperature gradient were simulated by the Dahneke model. The research focused on the effects of the Reynolds number, the temperature gradient and particle concentration which simultaneity affect particle kinematics, impacts, agglomerations, and deposition characteristics. The numerical results show that the thermophoresis dominates the particle deposition, which agrees well with the experimental data, the particle concentration determines the particle collision and agglomeration rate, the Reynolds number determines the particle distribution in the duct and the 2.5 μm particles do not obviously affect the air phase motion under comparatively low concentration referred in this research.     

生物柴油浸没喷吹的雾化特性

以生物柴油替代柴油进行浸没喷吹熔池熔炼是发展低碳铜冶炼的重要途径。针对该过程建立生物柴油浸没喷吹雾化流动过程计算模型,本文模拟计算了喷枪在水模型中浸没深度为20mm时不同油气比条件下生物柴油雾化颗粒的雾化特性,并实验验证了计算模型。研究结果表明：油滴颗粒的贯穿距随着空气流速的增加而增大;在气泡内油滴颗粒以一定的雾化半角向前扩散;当油滴颗粒到达气泡底部时,油滴颗粒以气泡底部平面为中心向整个空间扩散;气泡内距离喷枪轴向越远的观察面内大颗粒数目越多;油滴颗粒的索特平均直径（SMD）沿喷枪轴向先增大后减小;气泡内距喷枪口越远油滴颗粒SMD越大,进入水区域的油滴颗粒SMD逐渐减小;雾化空气流速越大,油滴颗粒SMD最大值的位置距喷口越远。     

Investigation of the recyclability of powder coatings

100% recyclability is one of the major advantages of powder coating. However, it can never be achieved in reality. Coating powders, especially finer powders with particle size below 30 μm, were found to have much worse flow performances after recycling from electrostatic spraying so as to decrease the recyclability. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate recycled coating powders to determine the underlying cause of decreased flow performance. The investigations were based upon three major factors that make the differences between original powder and its recycled powder: particle size, humidity exposure and flow additive concentration. By adjusting the three factors independently, the influences to powder flow properties were analyzed. Results showed that the decreased particle size of the recycled powder had the most significant effect on the flow properties. Additive concentration on the powder particles did not change with respect to the particle specific surface area after electrostatic spraying. Humidity had only a minor effect on the flow properties of powder coatings.     

Finite pointset method for simulation of the liquid–liquid flow field in an extractor

Finite pointset method (FPM) is applied for the simulation of the single- and two-phase flow field in a rotating disc contactor (RDC) type extraction column. FPM is a numerical method to solve fluid dynamic equations. This is a Lagrangian and meshfree particle method, where the particles move with fluid velocity and carry all information necessary for solving fluid dynamic quantities. The simulations are validated by single- and two-phase 2D particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements. In addition, the results are compared to simulations of the commercial CFD code Fluent. The results show that FPM can predict the one- and two-phase flow field in the RDC, whereas the predicted velocities are in good agreement with the experimental ones. FPM also bears comparison with the results of the commercial CFD code Fluent.     

Simulation of sprinkler—hot layer interaction using a field model

This paper reports a study of the interaction of a sprinkler water spray with the fire-induced hot layer using the field modelling technique. Data obtained in the large test room of the recent Swedish experiments reported by Ingason and Olsson (1992) are used to validate the results. The problem is divided into a gas phase and a liquid phase. For the gas phase, the set of conservation equations for mass, momentum and enthalpy of air flow induced by the fire is solved numerically using the Pressure Implicit Splitting Operator (PISO) algorithm. For the liquid phase, the sprinkler water spray is described by a number of droplets with initial velocity and diameter calculated by empirical expressions for the nozzle at different operating water pressures and flow rates. The trajectory of each droplet is calculated by solving the equation of motions, by including the dragging and heat transfer with the hot layer. The water droplet is assumed to be non-evaporating and only the source terms in the gas momentum and enthalpy equations of the air flow included the interaction effects with water droplets, i.e. the ‘Particle-Source-in-Cell’ method. The predicted results include the gas flow, temperature and smoke concentration field; the shape of the water spray; and some relevant macroscopic parameters such as amount of convective cooling, drag-to-buoyancy ratio, etc. The average smoke layer temperature and the smoke layer interface height are also calculated. The effect of the mean droplet size on those parameters is illustrated. Finally, a comparison of the water density received at floor level in cases with and without the fire is made.