Solids mixing in a fluidized bed riser

The solids mixing in a riser with a height of 10 m and 0.186 m inner diameter was investigated by using pneumatic phosphor tracer technique. Considering the shielding effect of the bed material on the light emitted from the phosphor tracer particle, a modified method for the phosphor tracer measurement is proposed. And then the curves of particle residence time distribution were obtained. The experimental results show that the particle diffusion mechanism can be explained by the dispersions of dispersed particles and particle clusters in the axial direction, and as well the core-annulus nonuniform distribution of the solids fraction in the radial direction of the riser. Moreover, based on the experimental results, a two-dimensional dispersion model was established to predict the solids axial and radial diffusion. Furthermore, the effects of superficial gas velocity and solids circulating flux on the axial and radial Peclet number of the particles were discussed; two empirical correlation formulas about the axial and the radial Peclet numbers were given; the calculated values agree well with the experimental results.     

内构件对于提升管中颗粒混合行为的影响

对加设了钝体式内构件的提升管内颗粒的轴径向混合为进行了研究。研究结果表明，内构件的存在并不能明显减少提升管内颗粒的轴向返混，这与提升管内稳定的微观两相结构密切相关，但颗粒的径向混合能力却可大大加强，而且在越高的气速和固含条件下，这种加强作用越明显，其原因是内构件的存在加强了边壁区颗粒的脉动，有利于破坏提升管边壁区的颗粒浓环，促进颗粒的径向交换与混合。     

Lateral flux and velocity of FCC particles in a CFB riser

The radial profiles of the lateral solids mass flux and the lateral solids velocity were determined for FCC particles in a 7 m tall circulating fluidtzed bed riser 0.14 m in diameter by applying a lateral flux probe and electrical capacitance tomography. The external solids mass flux was varied between 148 and 302 kg/(m².s), while the superficial gas velocity was varied between 3.7 and 4.7 m/s. Under these conditions, a dense bottom region and an upper dilute region coexisted in the riser. Lateral fluxes in the dense bottom region reached 100 kg/(m².s) at the wall, but fell to 14 kg/(m².s) at the wall in the upper dilute region. At both axial locations, a net deposition of solids from the core to the annulus occurred, indicating that fully developed flow was never established under these conditions. The lateral fluxes in the bottom region were significantly larger than those found in previous studies. It was further concluded that considering the lateral solids flux to be only a function of solids concentration is an over‐simplification.     

Mixing of a lateral gas stream in a two-dimensional riser of a circulating fluidized bed

A cold model of a circulating fluidized bed having a two-dimensional riser, with a 12 × 120 mm section and a 6.4 m height, was equipped with a device to inject a lateral gas stream along the riser. The apparatus was operated under conditions ranging from those characteristic of combustors to those of gas-conversion processes. Flow structures in the interaction region between the rising gas—solids suspension and the lateral gas stream were studied by means of a motion analysis system. Three main configurations were identified. The ratio between the momentum of the lateral gas stream and that of the rising suspension was found to be the parameter able to discriminate among the three configurations. A satisfactory agreement was found with mixing data obtained using a cylindrical riser.     

Segregation and mixing effects in the riser of a circulating fluidized bed

Segregation and mixing effects of binary mixtures of particles having difference in sizes and densities were studied in 0.1016 m-diameter riser of a circulating fluidized bed at gas velocities between 2.01 and 4.681 m/s and solids circulation rate between 12.5 and 50 kg/m² s. Two groups of bed materials (three quartz sand-spent fcc catalyst mixtures with different initial mass % of sand and two coal-iron mixtures, one with almost same sizes but with different densities and the other having both different sizes and densities) were used. Using local axial mass % of heavier/coarser particles and their mean sizes the extent of segregation was evaluated. The influence of operating conditions like superficial gas velocity and solids circulation rate on segregation was examined and found that with their increase segregation effects generally tend to decrease and a uniform mixture conforming to initial composition of the mixture results. Using the data available in the literature and those of the present authors an empirical correlation to obtain the extent of segregation in CFBs has been proposed.     

Study of cracking FCC naphtha in a secondary riser of the FCC unit for maximum propylene production

To satisfy the increasing propylene demand, reprocessing FCC naphtha in a secondary riser of the FCC unit was investigated. To this aim, a full range FCC naphtha was cracked over a mixture of two kinds of commercial equilibrium FCC catalysts, which contained 95 t.% Y zeolite-based catalyst and 5 wt.% ZSM-5 zeolite-based additive. The effects of operating parameters such as reaction temperature (temperature of the riser outlet), catalyst-to-oil ratio and residence time on FCC naphtha cracking were studied in a continuous pilot plant. This work demonstrates that FCC naphtha requires high operating severities to crack, and approximately 12–19 wt.% FCC naphtha can be transformed into propylene. The conversion and yield of propylene showed a rapid increase with increasing reaction temperature, and the increase of catalyst-to-oil ratio also enhanced FCC naphtha cracking, even at high reaction temperature. However, at high catalyst-to-oil reactions, hydrogen-transfer reactions constrain further increases in light olefin yields. At these high operating severities, shortening residence time is an appropriate way to obtain high yields of propylene combined with (i) lower yields of dry gas and (ii) a lower apparent hydrogen-transfer coefficient.     

Numerical simulation of flow behavior of particles and clusters in riser using two granular temperatures

Cluster in CFB riser significantly affects performance of circulating fluidized beds. To model hydrodynamic behavior in CFB risers, three phase flows were assumed in the riser, the gas phase, the dispersed particle phase, and the clusters phase. The gas-solid multi-fluid model is extended to give the macroscopic averaged equations with constitutive equations for both particle phases from kinetic theory of granular flow. The clusters and the dispersed particles have their own fluctuating energy or two individual granular temperatures. Interactions between the cluster and its surrounding dispersed particles were obtained from kinetic theory of granular flow. Drag force for gas to dispersed particles and the clusters are empirically determined. The momentum exchange between dispersed particles and clusters is modeled using the concept of molecular dynamics. Cluster properties are predicted with the cluster-based approach. The distributions of volume fractions and velocities of gas, dispersed particles and clusters are predicted. Computed solid mass fluxes and volume fractions agree with Manyele et al. [S.V. Manyele, J.H. Parssinen, J.X. Zhu, Characterizing particle aggregates in a high-density and high-flux CFB riser, Chemical Engineering Journal, 88 (2002) 151-161.] and Knowlton [T.M. Knowlton, Modelling benchmark exercise. Workshop at the Eighth Engineering Foundation Conference on Fluidization, Tours, France, 1995.] experimental data.     

FCC提升管反应器中颗粒聚团对裂化反应的影响

在对气固流动体系颗粒聚团实验现象分析的基础上,以减压馏分油裂化反应为例,对反应器中最常见的球形和椭球形聚团上的流动、传热和反应过程进行了模拟计算,得到了聚团内外油气和催化剂颗粒的速度分布、温度分布、浓度分布以及反应速率分布。研究结果表明,催化剂颗粒聚团的存在阻碍了油气与催化剂颗粒的充分接触,进而造成系统内速度和温度的不均匀分布,影响了裂化反应的发生,使得有颗粒聚团时的一次反应速率明显低于无聚团时的反应速率,颗粒聚团显著影响了油气在颗粒上的反应时间,最终导致气体和焦炭产率升高,对裂化反应产品收率分布十分不利。     

DSMC prediction of granular temperatures of clusters and dispersed particles in a riser

Flow behavior of gas and particles in a CFB riser is simulated by a Euler-Lagrangian approach. Collisional interaction of particles is modeled by a direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. The coefficient of restitution depends on the relative velocity between two particles by taking into account both the viscoelastic and plastic deformations of particles. The Newtonian equations of motion are solved for each simulated particle in the system. The interaction between gas phase and simulated particles is determined by means of Newtonian third law. A criterion proposed by Soong et al. [C.H. Soong, K. Tuzla, J.C. Chen, Experimental determination of clusters size and velocity in circulating fluidized beds, in: J.F. Large, C. Laguerie Eds., Fluidization VIII Engineering Foundation, New York, 1995, pp. 219-227.] is used to obtain information of clusters. A model for the determination of the number of particles inside a cluster is proposed from kinetic theory of granular flow. The flow behavior of clusters and dispersed particles in the riser is numerically predicted. Distributions of granular temperature of clusters and dispersed particles are computed from velocity distributions. The upward moving clusters give a high granular temperature in comparison to the downward moving clusters. The granular temperature of the dispersed particles is an order of magnitude larger than that of the clusters. The computed collision frequencies of dispersed particles and clusters from DSMC are lower than those from kinetic theory of granular flow.     

Axial and lateral dispersion of fine particles in a binary-solid riser

Axial and lateral mixing of fine particles in a binary-solid riser have been investigated using a phosphor tracer method. The measured bimodal residence time distribution (RTD) demonstrated two types of axial dispersions of the fines: the dispersion of discrete particles and that of clusters. A proposed one-dimensional, bimodal dispersion model describes the bimodal RTDs very well. The axial Peclet number of the fines is not sensitive to the fraction of coarse particles, gas velocity and solids circulation rate. Lateral solids dispersion was determined by measuring the solids RTD at different radii using a point source tracer injection. A two-dimensional dispersion model describes the measured RTDs satisfactorily. Lateral solids mixing decreased as coarse particles were added into the riser. Correlations of the axial and lateral Peclet numbers obtained fit the experimental data well.     

Solids mixing in a down-flow circulating fluidized bed of 0.418-m in diameter

The axial and lateral solids mixing in a down-flow circulating fluidized bed of 0.418-m diameter was investigated by a pneumatic injection phosphor tracer technique (PIPTT). The axial and lateral solids dispersion were determined by measuring the solids RTD at same axial but different lateral positions using point sources for tracer injection. A two-dimensional dispersion model described the measured RTD curves satisfactorily. The results were compared to those obtained in the small scale downers and the scale-up effect was investigated. The axial solids Peclet number Pe_a is around 110 and invariable with changing U_g, G_s and ?_s, while the lateral solids Peclet number Pe_r is linearly increasing with ?_s. And Pe_r is found to decrease with the square root of inner diameter (ID) in comparison with the results obtained in small ID downers. Correlation of Pe_r, Pe_r = (15 + 70.7 ?_s)D^− 0.5, is proposed.     

Mixing behaviour of solids in multiple spouted beds

Stimulus response experiments are conducted in four different rectangular columns having two and three spout cells. A pink‐coloured polymer material is used as bed material with ambient air as the spouting fluid. A pulse input of dark blue colour polymer material is used as the stimulus, when the column is operating under steady flow conditions, and the response measured. A mathematical model “plug flow‐mixed flow in series” is used to fit the experimental data and the model parameters are evaluated.     

The residence time distribution and mixing of the gas phase in the riser of a circulating fluidized bed

CFBs are increasingly used for both gas-catalytic and gas-solid reactions. The conversion is a function of the gas hydrodynamics, subject of the present research.Available literature on the gas mixing in the riser of a CFB shows contradictory results: some investigators neglected back-mixing of gas, whereas others report a considerable amount of back-mixing in CFB risers. The present paper reports experimental findings obtained in a 0.1 m I.D. riser, for a wide range of combined superficial gas velocity (U) and solid circulation flux (G). The gas flow mode (plug vs. mixed) is strongly affected by the operating conditions, however with a dominant mode within a specific (U, G)-range. Sand was used as bed material. The superficial gas velocity was varied from 5.5 to 8.3 m/s, the solids circulation flux was between 40 and 170 kg/m² s. A tracer pulse response technique was used with a pulse of propane injected at the bottom and detected at the riser exit. The cumulative response curves, F(t), define (i) an average residence time (t₅₀) obtained for F(t) = 0.5; and (ii) the slope of the curves (a steeper one corresponding with more pronounced plug flow) and expressed in terms of a span, σ. These parameters (t₅₀ and σ) define the gas flow mode. A quantitative comparison of experimental results with literature RTD-models is inconclusive although the occurrence of both mixed flow and plug flow is evident, and (U, G)-dependent. The experimental results are expressed in empirical design equations, and the comparison of predicted and experimental results is fair: low values of σ determine the plug flow regimes, whereas back-mixing is more pronounced at higher value of σ. Experiments with similar systems might favor plug flow or mixing as function of the combined (U, G)-values. The introduction of the RTD-function in reaction rate equations can improve the prediction of the gas-conversion in a riser-reactor.     

内构件存在时提升管内流动及颗粒混合行为研究

he hydrodynamics and solids mixing behavior in a riser with blunt internals are studied. A uniform radial distribution for solids fraction and particle velocity achieves near the internals. The turbulent velocity of particles near the wall increases with the addition of the internals, with the lateral solids mixing enhanced significantly. Probability density distribution of particle velocity is bimodal in the riser with internals, which is similar to that in the conventional riser, indicating that no significant difference in the micro flow structure exists between the riser with internals and the conventional riser. At the same time, the axial solids mixing behavior changes insignificantly with the addition of internals. These results indicate that the micro flow structure in the riser is very stable, which changes insignificantly with the change of the bed structure.     

Kinetic theory based CFD simulation of turbulent fluidization of FCC particles in a riser

The turbulent fluidization regime is characterized by the co-existence of a dense, bottom region and a dilute, top bed. A kinetic theory based CFD code with a drag corrected for clusters captured the basic features of this flow regime: the dilute and dense regions, high dispersion coefficients and a strong anisotropy. The computed energy spectrum captures the observed gravity wave and the Kolmogorov -5/3 law at high frequencies. The computed turbulent kinetic energy is close to the measurements for FCC particles. The CFD simulations compared reasonably well with the measured core-annular flow experiments at very high solid fluxes. The computed granular temperatures, solids pressures, FCC viscosities and frequencies of oscillations were close to measurements reported in the literature. The computations suggest that unlike for the flow of group B particles, the oscillations for the FCC particles in the center of the riser are primarily due to the oscillations of clusters and not due to oscillations of individual particles. Hence mixing is not on the level of individual particles.     

循环流化床提升管中固体颗粒停留时间的分布

在内径１４０ｍｍ，高１０ｍ的循环流化床提升管中，采用磷光颗粒示踪法对床内固体颗粒的停留时间分布进行了测定。在气速１．５～９．０ｍ／ｓ，固体循环量１０～１４０ｋｇ／ｍ２ｓ的范围内，实验测得的停留时间分布曲线均有明显的双峰分布。这种双峰分布是由于提升管中弥散颗粒和颗粒团共同作用的结果。本文提出的一维两组分扩散叠加模型可较好地描述提升管中固体的混合行为。考察了在实验条件下，操作条件对固体混合行为的影响。发现：气速及固含对颗粒的轴向Ｐｅｃｌｅｔ数影响不大，提升管中颗粒的返混主要是由于颗粒团引起的。将研究结果与近期文献报道的其他研究进行了对比     

Prediction of Axial Mixing for a Structured Packed Column Using a Two‐equation Model

A theoretical model based on the recently developed two‐equation method is proposed to predict the axial mixing behavior in a structured packed column. By solving the proposed model, the process of tracer injection experiments for determining the axial back‐mixing coefficient of structured packing can be simulated. Consequently, the axial Bodenstein number and dispersion coefficient under liquid single‐phase or gas‐liquid two‐phase flow conditions can be calculated. The validation of the proposed method is tested by simulating the two‐phase fluid flow behavior in Flexipac 2 structured packing. The simulated results are compared with the experimental data and satisfactory agreement is found between the simulation and the experiments.     

催化裂化提升管进料段内多相流动及其结构优化

催化裂化提升管进料段内油、剂两相的流动-混合状况对目标产品的收率具有重要的影响。早期研究多属于“探索性”的结构优化。近年来,通过大型冷模实验,结合理论分析和数值模拟,发现在传统结构进料段中,对油、剂混合流场起重要作用的是Kutta-Joukowski横向力引起的原料射流“二次流”。对二次流“用其利、抑其弊”是优化传统结构进料段的关键,目前已取得广泛的工业应用。而近期Kutta-Joukowski横向力分析以及冷模实验、数值模拟的结果表明,油剂逆流接触新型进料段可更有效地促进油剂混合,使两相接触更为均匀;较传统形式进料段结构具有更明显的优势。     

Experimental profiles of lateral mixing of feed particles in a three‐dimensional fluidized bed

Solids mixing data of high quality is one of the most crucial steps for quantitative studies, but it is a difficult task to obtain in a fluidized bed especially with a 3D configuration. Therefore a novel sampling technique is developed with bed collapse method, for measuring lateral mixing of feed particles in a 3D fluidized bed. The sampling tool is designed using a “bottom‐to‐top sampling” idea. Its development, configuration and measurement repetition are discussed in detail. The effects of mixing time, fluidizing gas velocity, and particle size of bed material on the tracer distribution are investigated. A quantitative comparison of lateral dispersion coefficient shows that our results agree fairly well with measurements and predictions of correlations for lab‐scale fluidized systems in previous studies. The presented 2D profiles of the lateral mixing can be used to validate fundamental solids mixing models or verifying convenient measurement techniques. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011     

Mixing and segregation in a liquid fluidized bed of particles with different size and density

Experimental studies have been carried out on fluidization of irregular particle mixtures of different size and density. The mixing and segregation phenomena could be interpreted on the basis of the diffusion model of Kennedy and Bretton. The dependence of computed particle dispersion coefficient on liquid velocity, particle density and size has been discussed.