AN RTD STUDY FOR THE FLOW OF LIGNITE PARTICLES THROUGH A PILOT ROTARY DRYER PART I; BARE DRUM CASE

In Part I of the present work a pilot rotating cylindrical drum, without an internal lifting flight system (bare) has been employed for the study of lignite motion through it, at ambient temperature. Tracer pulse stimulus - response experiments have been carried out io deduce residence time distribution ( RTD) data and relate them to the operating conditions ( slope, speed of revolution, etc.). Mean residence time, space-time and solids hold-up have been correlated with the drum operating conditions. Experimental data of mean axial velocity of solids have been compared with theoretical predictions and found to deviate within a ± 15% margin. A size segregation of particles during their motion through the kiln under a variety of operating conditions has been confirmed and quantified. An average maximum divergence of 20% between the residence time of the smallest and that of the largest nominal particle sizes has been assessed.     

AN RTD STUDY FOR THE FLOW OF LIGNITE PARTICLES THROUGH A PILOT ROTARY DRYER PART II: FLIGHTED DRUM CASE

ABSTRACT

In Part II of this work a flighted pilot rotating cylindrical drum, intended to be used as either a dryer or calciner ( kiln) has been used to investigate the flow, through it, of pulverized moist lignite. Tracer pulse input - response experiments have been performed. Residence Time Distribution ( RT) data have been deduced for three types of flight geometry, namely: Rectangular ( RA) Equal Angular Distribution ( E.A.D.) and Equal Horizontal Distribution ( E.H.D) For each flight shape, mean residence time t¯ has been correlated with drum operating conditions. The sequence ? t¯ _EAD t¯ _EAD has been validated. A comparison between the residence time predictions for the flighted and the bare drum has indicated that t for the former may be higher by up to 3.5 times than that for the latter. Exceptionally high solids hold-up values ( Z= 0.13? 0.42) have been observed and compared to theoretical predictions. Particle size segregation during lignite flow through the flighted drum was not confirmed.     

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.     

COMPARISON OF RESIDENCE TIME MODELS FOR CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS

ABSTRACT

The predictions of the models of Matchett and Baker (1988) Saeman and Mitchell (1954) and Friedman and Marshall (1949) for the solids residence time in rotary dryers have been compared with both pilot-scale and industrial-scale data. A countercurrent pilot-scale dryer of 0.2m diameter and 2m long has been used with air velocities up to 1.5 ms^?1 to measure the residence times of sorghum grain, The average discrepancy for the solids residence time between the predictions and the experiments that were carried out in the pilot-scale rotary dryer is — 10.4% Compared with the models of Friedman and Marshall (1949) and Saeman and Mitchell (1954) for the pilot-scale data obtained here, the Matchett and Baker model is more satisfactory for predicting the solids residence time in this pilot-scale dryer. It has also been found that the model of Matchett and Baker describes the industrial data of Saeman and Mitchell (1954) than the correlation of Friedman and Marshall (1949).     

Particle velocities and their residence time distribution in the riser of a CFB

The riser of a Circulating Fluidised Bed (CFB) is the key-component where gas-solid or gas-catalytic reactions occur. Both types of reactions require different conditions of operating velocities (U), solids circulation fluxes (G), overall hydrodynamics and residence times of solids and gas. The solids hydrodynamics and their residence time distribution in the riser are the focal points of this paper. The riser of a CFB can operate in different hydrodynamic regimes, each with a pronounced impact on the solids motion. These regimes are firstly reviewed to define their distinct characteristics as a function of the combined parameters, U and G.Experiments were carried out, using Positron Emission Particle Tracking of single radio-actively labelled tracer particles. Results on the particle velocity are assessed for operation in the different regimes. Design equations are proposed.The particle velocities and overall solids mixing are closely linked. The solid mixing has been previously studied by mostly tracer response techniques, and different approaches have been proposed. None of the previous approaches unambiguously fits the mixing patterns throughout the different operating regimes of the riser. The measured average particle velocity and the velocity distribution offer an alternative approach to determine the solids residence time distribution (RTD) for a given riser geometry. Findings are transformed into design equations.The overall approach is finally illustrated for a riser of known geometry and operating within the different hydrodynamic regimes.     

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.     

PREDICTING THE ENERGY CONSUMPTION OF CONTINUOUS WELL-MIXED FLUIDIZED BED DRYERS FROM DRYING KINETIC DATA

ABSTRACT

Previous work has shown that it is possible to predict the size of a continuous welt-mixed fluidized bed dryer from batch drying curve measurements. This approach has been extended in the present study to include energy consumption calculations. A computer code was written to simulate the performance of the dryer and to determine its specific energy consumption E_s. Starting in this case with an isothermal bed batch drying curve, the program first calculates the mean solids residence time required under specified operating conditions. Mass and energy balances are then used to calculate the heat duty and E_s. The bed temperature was found to have a significant effect on specific energy consumption in all cases. However, the influences of air flowrate and humidity, and of solids loading, were shown to depend on the solids drying characteristics.     

直热式转筒干燥过程物料停留时间理论推导

为了对物料在直热式转筒干燥机内理想扬料板作用下停留时间进行计算研究,根据扬料板作用下的物料在转筒内撒落分布均匀状态,建立了理想扬料板的截面方程,采用建立的理想扬料板的截面方程,导出了随着转筒转动到不同位置的扬料板持料量,在此基础上,分析物料在直热式转筒干燥机内的实际运动情况,建立转筒内物料运动的数学模型,导出物料在转筒内的停留时间,对现有停留时间计算方法进行了修正。研究为扬料板作用下直热式转筒干燥过程物料停留时间的计算提供一种参考。     

Dynamic Characteristics of Solids Transportation in Rotary Dryers

Abstract

An original method was proposed for the determination of the mean residence time in a continuous dryer, based on the step-change in the solids feed rate. The method has been validated through experiments performed in a pilot-scale rotary dryer. The effect of the solids flow rate, gas flow rate, dryer rotation speed, and dryer slope was quantified. Several design correlations to predict the residence time in rotary dryers were critically evaluated, and a new, more accurate correlation was derived.     

Positron Imaging Studies of Rotating Drums

The potential of the radioisotope tracer technique of positron emission tomography (PET) and the related techniques of positron emission projection imaging (PEPI) and positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) is illustrated with reference to laboratory scale studies of particulate motion in rotating drums, operating either in batch or continuous flow modes. Sand grains, glass beads and TiO2 granules down to 0.5mm diameter were labelled. Using PEPT the transition between rolling and slumping modes has been identified and the velocity profile within the active layer has been determined for a range of drum diameters. PEPI has been used to measure and explain residence time distributions, while all three techniques have been used to study segregation based on particle size, both radially and axially within the drum. Data on particle motion within a novel baffled drum is also presented.     

Solids behaviour in a gas-solid two-phase mixture flowing through a packed particle bed

This paper reports the solids behaviour in a dilute gas-solid two-phase mixture flowing through a packed bed. The positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) technique was used in the work, which allowed investigation of three-dimensional solids motion at the single suspended particle level. Processing of the data gave solids velocity, the residence time of suspended particles, bed tortuosity in terms of solids motion, as well as solids occupancy in the cross-section of the packed bed. The results suggest that the wall effect on the motion of suspended particles is limited to approximately one packed particle diameter under the conditions of this work. Both the average axial and radial velocities of suspended particles, normalised by the superficial gas velocity, change periodically with radial position, but the periodicity does not correspond exactly to the packed particle diameter. The peak and trough values of the average axial velocity of the suspended particles in the bulk region are, respectively, ∼25% and ∼15% of the superficial gas velocity under the conditions of this work and the superficial gas velocity shows little effect. The peak and trough values of the average radial velocity of the suspended particles in the bulk region are, respectively, +5% (positive) and -5% (negative) of the superficial gas velocity. The results of the residence time and tortuosity of the suspended particles show an approximately Gaussian distribution with the peak residence time and tortuosity increasing with decreasing superficial gas velocity. The occupancy data suggest that particles spend more time in an annular region close to the wall, indicating a non-uniform particle distribution across the packed bed cross-section.     

Thermal Processing of Particulate Solids in a Gas-Fired Pulse Combustion System

Abstract

An experimental study on thermal processing of particulate solids has been carried out on a valved pulse combustion unit. The test-bench consists of a 60 kW natural gas-fired valved (flappers) pulse combustor having a 4.63 × 10^?3 m³ combustion chamber, horizontal tailpipe with variable geometry, and a cylindrical drum. The particulate solid used is clean sand (311 µm and 2646 kg/m³), which flows within the tailpipe and the cylindrical drum located at its end. The sand flowrate was varied from 10 to 50 kg/h and it was heated from 20 to 600°C. Local pressure measurements showed clearly that the propagation of sonic waves remain stable when they are in direct contact with the sand particles. The heating time of sand particles in the pulsed system was found shorter than the one observed when operating with a conventional burner under the same conditions; this resulted in a 25.5% reduction of natural gas consumption.     

A SIMPLE DYNAMIC MODEL FOR SOLID TRANSPORT IN ROTARY DRYERS

ABSTRACT

The solid particle movement in a rotary drum plays an important role in drying processes. The solid distribution in the drum affects the amount of contact surface between the solid and the gas. The retention time of solids influences the time particles can stay in contact with the gas in order to transfer heat and mass. Any heat and mass transfer model for a solid particle dryer must be able to predict solid flowrate and solid hold-up. There have been several reports in the literature regarding the modelling aspects of solid transport in dryers. If the model is developed for model-based control, it must be simple and yet represent dynamics of the system accurately. This paper addresses solid motion modelling and the effects of different variables involved in solid transport phenomena. Sugar drying process is the case study in this work. A steady state semi-empirical model was modified to predict solid hold-up and flowrate in rotary dryers. This model was incorporated into a heat and mass transfer model ;o predict solid moisture and temperature for inferential and model-based control purposes. Results of several experiments that have been used to investigate dynamics of the system in terms of solid motion and to validate the model are also presented. The approach advocated in this paper is directly applicable to the transport of other solids in rotary drum equipment and can thus be regarded as a generalized model.     

SOLIDS TRANSPORTATION MODEL OF AN INDUSTRIAL ROTARY DRYER

ABSTRACT

A complete simulation model has been developed for an industrial rotary dryer to account for the heat and mass exchange between the solids and the gas. This simulator is mainly composed of three models: solids transportation model, furnace model, and gas model. The solids transportation model is the modified Cholette-Cloutier model It consists of a series of interactive reservoirs which are subdivided into an active and a dead compartments to account for the characteristic extended tail of the residence time distribution (RTD) curves observed in industrial dryers.

To expand the validity of the model, experiments have been performed in an industrial rotary dryer to obtain RTD curves under different mineral concentrate and gas flow rates. This paper describes these experiments and presents the variation of the average residence time and model parameters as function of solids and gas flow rates.     

Heat Transfer in Food Cooling Applications by Ibrahim Dinter Taylor and Francis publishers, 1900 Frost Road,Suite 101, Bristol,PA 19007 1997, 399 pages

Abstract

Prediction of residence time in rotary dryers is useful for equipment design as well as for the right selection of operation conditions in order to obtain the optimal unit functioning.

An empirical relationship for residence time estimation that may be applied when the dryer slope is zero or different from it is presented in this work. It was derived from experimental testing carried out with biological origin particulated solids (fish and soya meal, sawdust) and from mineral origin (sand) in a pilot rotary dryer. The fitting degree of the experimental data to those predicted by reported equations was also established here.     

Residence time distribution of a pharmaceutical grade polymer melt in a single screw extrusion process

The residence time distribution (RTD) of a flowing polymer through a single screw extruder was studied. This extruder allows injecting supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) used as physical foaming agent. The tested material is Eudragit E100, a pharmaceutical polymer. RTD was measured at various operating conditions and a model describing RTD has been developed. High screw speed or high temperature implies short residence time, but these parameters do not have the same effect on polymer flow. In the flow rate range studied, scCO₂ has no significant influence. A mathematical model consisting of a plug flow reactor in series with a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) cross-flowing with a dead volume fitted well the experimental data.     

Desulfurization and Deashing of Solvent Refined Coal (SRC-I) by High Gradient Magnetic Separation Techniques

Abstract

A pilot-scale high gradient magnetic separations (HGMS) system was assembled to investigate the magnetic separation of ash-forming solids and inorganic sulfur from liquefied coal. The liquefied coal studied was a diluted intermediate product obtained from the DOE-sponsored Tacoma SRC-I pilot plant (50 t/d coal capacity). The magnetic characteristics and particle size distribution of the Tacoma SRC-I liquefied coal were optimized for removal by HGMS. The effect of the following magnetic separator parameters upon the deashing the desulfurization of the diluted liquefied coal was considered: matrix packing density, temperature, applied magnetic field, dilution of and residence time of liquefied coal feed, backflushing of saturated separator parameters upon the deashing and desulfurization of the diluted liquefied model which satisfactorily accounts for HGMS performance was developed. The HGMS system was observed to remove over 90% of the ash-forming materials and inorganic sulfur over a wide range of operating conditions. These removals were increased to 97 and 95%, respectively, with residence times greater than 6 min.     

Modelling of granulation by a two-stage auto-layering mechanism in continuous industrial drums

A mechanistic model for the granulation of particulate materials with a wide size distribution in a large-scale continuous drum is presented. It takes cognizance of the effect of relevant process variables: feed size distribution, moisture content, binders such as lime, residence time distribution, feed rate, etc. The model is based on the auto-layering mechanism of granule growth and incorporates a piecewise linear model for granulation kinetics. Laboratory scale tests on a batch drum are used to provide kinetic parameters. The size-dependent residence time distribution of agglomerating mass in the continuous drum is represented by a combination of mixed and plug flow regimes operating in parallel. The model is customized for a continuous drum in an iron ore fines sintering plant. The predicted granule size distributions are in good agreement with the plant data under widely varying operating conditions. The modelling framework provides scope for modifying the individual modules for drum residence time distribution or the granulation mechanism and growth kinetics.     

Mixing dynamics in bubbling fluidized beds

Solids mixing affects thermal and concentration gradients in fluidized bed reactors and is, therefore, critical to their performance. Despite substantial effort over the past decades, understanding of solids mixing continues to be lacking because of technical limitations of diagnostics in large pilot and commercial‐scale reactors. This study is focused on investigating mixing dynamics and their dependence on operating conditions using computational fluid dynamics simulations. Toward this end, fine‐grid 3D simulations are conducted for the bubbling fluidization of three distinct Geldart B particles (1.15 mm LLDPE, 0.50 mm glass, and 0.29 mm alumina) at superficial gas velocities U/Umf = 2–4 in a pilot‐scale 50 cm diameter bed. The Two‐Fluid Model (TFM) is employed to describe the solids motion efficiently while bubbles are detected and tracked using MS3DATA. Detailed statistics of the flow‐field in and around bubbles are computed and used to describe bubble‐induced solids micromixing: solids upflow driven in the nose and wake regions while downflow along the bubble walls. Further, within these regions, the hydrodynamics are dependent only on particle and bubble characteristics, and relatively independent of the global operating conditions. Based on this finding, a predictive mechanistic, analytical model is developed which integrates bubble‐induced micromixing contributions over their size and spatial distributions to describe the gross solids circulation within the fluidized bed. Finally, it is shown that solids mixing is affected adversely in the presence of gas bypass, or throughflow, particularly in the fluidization of heavier particles. This is because of inefficient gas solids contacting as 30–50% of the superficial gas flow escapes with 2–3× shorter residence time through the bed. This is one of the first large‐scale studies where both the gas (bubble) and solids motion, and their interaction, are investigated in detail and the developed framework is useful for predicting solids mixing in large‐scale reactors as well as for analyzing mixing dynamics in complex reactive particulate systems. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 4316–4328, 2017     

Fluidization behavior in a circulating slugging fluidized bed reactor. Part I: Residence time and residence time distribution of polyethylene solids

Square nosed slugging fluidization behavior in a circulating fluidized bed riser using a polyethylene powder with a very wide particle size distribution was studied. In square nosed slugging fluidization the extent of mixing of particles of different size depends on the riser diameter, gas velocity, hold up and solids flux in the riser. Depending on the operating conditions the particle residence time distribution of a riser in the slugging fluidization regime can vary from that of a plug flow reactor to that of a well-mixed system.Higher gas velocities cause shorter particle residence times because of a significant decrease in the hold-up of particles in the riser at higher gas velocities. A higher solids flux also shortens the average residence time. Both influences have been quantified for a given polyethylene-air system.Residence time and residence time distribution were determined for different particle size and the influence of gas velocity, solids flux, hold up and riser diameter was studied. When comparing data from segregation and residence time experiments it is clear that segregation data can predict the spread in residence time as a function of overall residence time, particle size and gas velocity. The differential velocity between small and large particles found in the segregation experiments can predict the spread in residence time as found in the residence time distribution experiments with a powder with a broad particle size distribution. Raining of particles through the slugs was studied as a function of plug length, gas velocity and pulse length. It was found that raining is not the determining mechanism for segregation of particles.