An Experimental and Modeling Investigation on Drying of Ragi (Eleusine corocana) in Fluidized Bed

Experimental investigation on drying of ragi (Eleusine corocana) in a fluidized bed has been attempted covering the operating parameters such as temperature, flow rate of the drying medium, and solids holdup. The drying rate was found to increase significantly with increase in temperature and marginally with flow rate of the heating medium and to decrease with increase in solids holdup. The duration of constant rate period was found to be insignificant, considering the total duration of drying and the entire drying period was considered to follow falling rate period. The drying rate was compared with various simple exponential time decay models and the model parameters were evaluated. The Page model was found to match the experimental data very closely with the maximum root mean square of error (RMSE) less than 2.5%. The experimental data were also modeled using Fick's diffusion equation and the effective diffusivity coefficients were estimated. The effective diffusion coefficient was found to be within 5.7 to 14 × 10^?11 m²/s for the range of experimental data covered in the present study with RMSE less than 5%.     

Numerical Spray Model of the Fluidized Bed Coating Process

In this study, a new model for the batch top-spray fluidized bed coating process is presented. The model is based on the one-dimensional (axial) discretization of the bed volume into different control volumes, in which the dynamic heat and mass balances for air, water vapor, droplets, core particles, and coating material were established. The coupling of the droplet phase's mass and heat transfer terms with the gas and solid phases was established by means of a droplet submodel in which droplet trajectories were individually simulated.

The model calculation method combines a Monte Carlo technique for the simulation of the particle exchange with the first-order Euler's method for solving the heat and mass balances, enabling the prediction of both the dynamic coating mass distribution and the one-dimensional (axial) thermodynamic behavior of the fluidized bed during batch operation. The simulation results were validated using experimental two-dimensional spatial air temperature and air humidity distributions, which were measured in a fluidized bed pilot reactor using a scanning probe.

Sensitivity analysis was carried out to study the effect of controllable process variables, such as fluidization air and atomization air properties, as well as the properties of the spraying liquid upon the simulated dynamic temperature and humidity distributions. Also, the effects of relevant process variables on growth rate uniformity and process yield were studied. Based on these sensitivity studies it was concluded that nozzle parameters, such as air pressure and positioning with respect to the bed, are as important as the fluidization air properties (humidity, temperature, and flow rate) for the coating growth rate uniformity and process yield.     

Efficient Degradation of a Biorecalcitrant Pollutant from Wastewater Using a Fluidized Catalyst-Bed Reactor

This study investigated the treatment of an azo dye, as a biorecalcitrant model, from industrial wastewater by using Cu/Mg/Al-chitosan in a fluidized catalyst-bed reactor. A number of variables were used to study the impact they had on the oxidation process involving azo dye. The maximum degradation of the azo dye was achieved at 7 g Cu/Mg/Al-chitosan. The chloride and sulfate ions had a synergistic effect on azo dye removal. The oxidation of the azo dye under the selected conditions was of pseudo-first-order. Textile wastewater could effectively be treated using a low concentration of about 7 g of Cu/Mg/Al-chitosan in a short hydraulic retention time of 10 min. The use of Cu/Mg/Al-chitosan demonstrated a promising method to eliminate the azo dye from the wastewater.     

BATCH DRYING OF SHELLED CORN IN TWO-DIMENSIONAL SPOUTED BEDS WITH DRAFT PLATES

ABSTRACT

Geometrically similar spouted beds with draft plates were used to obtain the drying characteristics of freshly harvested shelled corn with 0.28 to 0.31 kg/kg initial moisture content at different air inlet temperatures and bed heights. Thermal equilibrium between air and grains was achieved at minimum spouting conditions. The drying kinetics of shelled corn in a drafted two-dimensional spouted bed was found to be of the "thin layer" type. Expressions for the model parameters in Page's equation accounting for the bed geometry, grain moisture content, and drying conditions were developed.     

HOW TO USE FLUIDIZATION TO OBTAIN DRYING KINETICS COUPLED WITH QUALITY EVOLUTION

Abstract

This paper presents the main activities of the Gas Fluidization and Drying Team of the Chemical Engineering Laboratory at Toulouse. The emphasis has been put on the modeling of a fluidized bed dryer and its derivates such as a flotation fluidized bed, by the analysis of heat and mass transfer together with the physico-chemical transformations of the product during drying. Several studies have been performed on different solids (cereal and chemical products) to illustrate the effect of the operating conditions on dehydration and degradation kinetics The knowledge of heat and mass transfer coefficients in flotation fluidized bed allows to determine intrinsec drying and degradation kinetics. These kinetics can be used in any conductive or convective drier model.     

SYNTHESIS OF NANOSTRUCTURED LiM0.15Mn1.85O4 (M = Mn,Co, Al,AND Fe) PARTICLES BY SPRAY PYROLYSIS IN A FLUIDIZED BED REACTOR

A novel technique has been developed to directly produce fine ceramic powders from liquid solution via spray pyrolysis in a fluidized bed reactor (SPFBR). Using this technique the preparation of LiM_0.15Mn_1.85O₄ (M = Mn, Co, Al, and Fe), which are the most promising cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, has been carried out at a superficial velocity U₀ of 0.71 m/s, a reactor temperature T of 800°C, and a static bed height L_s of 100 mm. The as-prepared powders were spherical nanostructured particles that comprised primary particles of a few tens of nanometers in size, and they exhibited a pure cubic spinel structure without any impurities in the XRD patterns. The chemical composition of as-prepared samples showed good agreement with the theoretical values that proved stoichiometric formulae of the compounds. The specific surface area of as-prepared LiM_0.15Mn_1.85O₄ (M = Mn, Co, Al, and Fe) powders decreases with increasing the static bed height in each doping metal, while the crystallite size increases with the static bed height. As a result, the as-prepared powders showed larger crystallite size and smaller specific surface area than those prepared by conventional spray pyrolysis.     

SHANNON ENTROPY ANALYSIS OF DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF GELDART GROUP B AND GELDART GROUP D PARTICLES IN A FLUIDIZED BED

Pressure fluctuations resulting from the nonuniform flow behavior of solid particles in a fluidized bed (0.06 m ID × 5.0 m in height) were analyzed using the Shannon entropy analysis method. Particles representing Geldart group B and group D types were employed in the experiments. Results show that with the increase of the superficial gas velocity, transitions between bubbling fluidization, turbulent fluidization, and fast fluidization were effectively detected based on the Shannon entropy of pressure fluctuations in the bed. Meanwhile, a higher static bed height resulted in a larger value of Shannon entropy due to the wall effect of smaller diameter column and the greater resistance to bubble formation affected by the increased weight of the bed. Comparison of the particle types indicated that despite the different details of their behavior, the overall trends were similar.     

STRUCTURE OPTIMIZATION OF A CIRCULATING MOVING BED REACTOR

A stress distribution model for a liquid-solid circulating moving bed reactor that consists of a bottom reaction chamber, a top regeneration chamber, a coupling standpipe, a particle transportation system, and a bottom standpipe is established based on the equations of continuity and momentum balance. Simulations show that the stress concentration regions are at the bottom of the regeneration chamber and the coupling standpipe. To reduce the maximal stress and increase the operation flexibility in a reactor for the 2000-ton-per-year production of linear alkylbenzene, the regeneration chamber should have a low height-to-radius ratio (about 9), a suitable half-conical angle between 28° and 35°, and standpipe radius of about 0.05 m.     

DRYING OF SOY PULP (OKARA) IN A BED OF INERT PARTICLES

ABSTRACT

Drying of okara, an insoluble pulp residue waste byproduct of tofu production, was investigated in a continuously moving bed of inert particles subjected to vortex-like motion. The experimental variables in their respective ranges included the mass of Teflon pellets used as inert particles (0.4–1.2 kg), feed rate (0.5–1.4 kg/h), inlet air temperature (100–145°C) and airflow rate (195–271 m³/h). The dryer showed good performance in general and produced dry okara with moisture content ranging from 5 to 33% wb depending upon the operating conditions. The product recovery ranged from 80 to 90% on dry basis in most experiments. The specific water evaporation rate in okara drying increased with increasing of the feed rate and mass of Teflon pellets. However, the specific heat consumption decreased with an increase in the okara feed rate. Results showed that specific heat consumption for okara drying in a bed of inert particles was about 3 to 4 times higher in comparison with that of free water.     

MODELLING AND PRACTICAL OPERATION RESULTS OF A DRYER FOR WOOD CHIPS

ABSTRACT

A model of drying of fixed and moving bed in cross-flow is presented. A single particle model described as a multiple moving boundary problem applicable for an icy wood particle is proposed. The simultaneous drying and melting are described by shrinking cores and the effect of thermal storage is taken into account approximately. The results with both the single particle and the bed model compare favourably with reported laboratory measurements. The drying of a deep fixed bed is a two-stage process. A constant rate of drying period with saturated outlet air at constant temperature is followed by a decreasing rate of drying with increasing air outlet temperature and decreasing degree of saturation. The bed modelling is performed to support the development work of a boiler plant using a dryer. Practical operation of dryers within the boiler plants is discussed.