Investigation of gas-solids flow hydrodynamics in a cold model of a dual fluidised bed gasifier using electrical capacitance tomography sensors

The flow characteristics of a dual fluidised bed gasifier(DFBG)are more complex than those of a single fluidised bed gasifier.For stable operation and appropriate control,a cold DFBG test facility with both an upper and a lower U-valve was built,and electrical capacitance tomography(ECT)sensors were installed with pressure transducers to investigate the effects of operating conditions on gas-solids flow hydrodynamics.The operating parameters included gas velocities in the riser and in the bubbling fluidised bed,aeration velocity in the lower U-valve,bed material inventory,and particle size.This is the first time that ECT was applied in different flow zones of a dual fluidised bed gasifier system.The experimental results indicated that ECT in the recycle chamber could monitor the performance of the lower U-valve under different operating conditions for early detection of gas shortcut from the riser to the bubbling bed.Three main flow regimes in the riser and the differences between the reactors were identified by two sets of ECT sensors with pressure transducers.Finally,the effects of the operating conditions on the pressure drop in different parts of the DFBG was investigated.

Effects of riser geometry on gas-solid flow characteristics in circulating fluidized beds

The performance of a circulating fluidized bed strongly depends on its parameter settings,including that of riser geometry.In this study,a laboratory-scale circulating fluidized bed with three different riser geometries(circular,square,and rectangular)that had the same cross-sectional area and height was operated under two static bed heights(20,and 35 cm).Electrical capacitance tomography was combined with differential pressure transducers and an optical-fiber probe to measure the solids'volume fraction,differential pressure fluctuations,and radial particle concentration variations.Computational particle fluid dynamics simulations were also performed.The results showed that single bubbles appeared in the bottom region of the circular and square risers and double bubbles in the bottom region of the rectangular riser.The autocorrelation of capacitance signals was periodic for the circular and square risers and non-periodic for the rectangular riser.The radial particle concentration profiles showed a single-core annulus structure in the circular and square risers,but a double-core annulus structure along the long side and single-core annulus structure along the short side in the rectangular riser.Shannon entropy analysis showed that fluidization was less disordered and most predictable for the rectangular riser.

Effects of pressure on flow characteristics in a pressurized circulating fluidized bed

The effects of operating pressure on the gas-solid flow characteristics in a pressurized circulating fluidized bed(CFB)gasification system were studied by experiment and simulation.Elevated operating pressure was found to increase the particle uniformity in the axial and radial directions.Experiments and simulations both showed that as the operating pressure increased,the pressure drops along the riser height decreased.The experimental pressure drops at the same locations decreased when the operating pressure increased,but the opposite trend was observed in the simulation results.A proper drag model must be developed for the accurate simulation of pressurized CFB operation,and the accuracy of electrical capacitance tomography(ECT)measurement and cross-correlation analysis should be improved for better prediction of the particle circulation flux.