Experimental study on secondary air mixing along the bed height in a circulating fluidized bed with a multitracer-gas method

A multitracer-gas method was proposed to study the secondary air(SA)mixing along the bed height in a circulating fluidized bed(CFB)using carbon monoxide(CO),oxygen(O_(2)),and carbon dioxide(CO_(2))as tracer gases.Experiments were carried out on a cold CFB test rig with a cross-section of 0.42 m×0.73 m and a height of 5.50 m.The effects of superficial velocity,SA ratio,bed inventory,and particle diameter on the SA mixing were investigated.The results indicate that there are some differences in the measurement results obtained using different tracer gases,wherein the deviation between CO and CO_(2) ranges from 42%to 66%and that between O_(2) and CO_(2) ranges from 45%to 71%in the lower part of the fluidized bed.However,these differences became less pronounced as the bed height increased.Besides,the high solid concentration and fine particle diameter in the CFB may weaken the difference.The measurement results of different tracer gases show the same trends under the variation of operating parameters.Increasing superficial velocity and SA ratio and decreasing particle diameter result in better mixing of the SA.The effect of bed inventory on SA mixing is not monotonic.

Desulfurization characteristics of slaked lime and regulation optimization of circulating fluidized bed flue gas desulfurization process--A combined experimental and numerical simulation study

Circulating fluidized bed flue gas desulfurization(CFB-FGD) process has been widely applied in recent years. However, high cost caused by the use of high-quality slaked lime and difficult operation due to the complex flow field are two issues which have received great attention. Accordingly, a laboratory-scale fluidized bed reactor was constructed to investigate the effects of physical properties and external conditions on desulfurization performance of slaked lime, and the conclusions were tried out in an industrial-scale CFB-FGD tower. After that, a numerical model of the tower was established based on computational particle fluid dynamics(CPFD) and two-film theory. After comparison and validation with actual operation data, the effects of operating parameters on gas-solid distribution and desulfurization characteristics were investigated. The results of experiments and industrial trials showed that the use of slaked lime with a calcium hydroxide content of approximately 80% and particle size greater than 40 μm could significantly reduce the cost of desulfurizer. Simulation results showed that the flow field in the desulfurization tower was skewed under the influence of circulating ash. We obtained optimal operating conditions of 7.5 kg·s^(-1)for the atomized water flow, 70 kg·s^(-1)for circulating ash flow, and 0.56 kg·s^(-1)for slaked lime flow, with desulfurization efficiency reaching 98.19% and the exit flue gas meeting the ultraclean emission and safety requirements. All parameters selected in the simulation were based on engineering examples and had certain application reference significance.

Effect of Gas Distributor Structure on Fluidization Characteristics in a Gas-Solid Fluidized Bed

In the present paper,the experimental method and computational fluid dynamics(CFD)method were used to investigate the effect of gas distributors with different orifice sizes and orifice pitches on fluidization characteristics in a gas-solid fluidized bed.The Euler-Euler two fluid model(TFM)approach based on the kinetic theory of granular flow(KTGF)and the standard k-epsilon turbulence model was employed in the numerical simulation by using ANSYS Fluent 15.0.The results showed that the orifice size and the orifice pitch of gas distributor had a significant influence on the flow characteristics in the gas-solid fluidized bed.With a decreasing orifice size and orifice pitch of gas distributor having the same opening area,the distributor pressure drop,the initial bubble size,and the height of dead zone just above the distributor were decreased,and the bed pressure drop was increased more than that of the larger orifice size and orifice pitch of distributors,the distribution of solid volume fraction was also more homogeneous for the smaller orifice size.

Fluidization characteristics of magnetic particles and determination of stable fluidization zone in magnetically fluidized bed

To determine and calculate the stable fluidization zone in a magnetically fluidized bed, the fluidization characteristics of magnetic particles are investigated. Four kinds of magnetic particles with different average diameters, ranging from 231 to 512 μm, are fluidized in the presence of magnetic fields with specified values of the intensity in the range of zero to 7330 A/m, and the particle fluidization curves are plotted. For marking the stable fluidization zone in the curves, the minimum bubbling velocities of particles are measured by the pressure-drop fluctuation. Based on the fluidization curves, the influences of the average particle diameter and magnetic field intensity on the zone are analyzed and discussed. A correlation to determine the stable fluidization zone is derived from the experimental data, using three dimensionless numbers, i. e., the ratio of magnetic potential to gravity potential, the Reynolds number and the Archimedes number. Compared with available data reported, it is shown that the correlation is more simplified to predict relative parameters for the bed operating in the state of stable fluidization under reasonable conditions.

Experimental Studies on a Circulating Fluidized Bed for Flue Gas Desulfurization

The tests of flue gas desulfurization were carried out on a circulating fluidized bed reactor in which the flue gas had different velocities at different sections. The SO 2 removal efficiency could be as high as 80% when Ca/S molar ratio was 1 1 and a small amount of water was sprayed into the reactor by a two phase (gas liquid) system nozzle.

Fluidization stability and periodic fluctuations in gas–solid separation fluidized bed using Geldart A dense medium

Gas–solid separation fluidized bed is a typical method for coal separation without water utilization.Geldart A particles is also considered as the ideal dense medium to strengthen separation efficiency.Fluidization stability reflects the bed pressure fluctuations and the distribution of bubble and emulsion phases,affecting the separation performance.And the main frequency of pressure fluctuations can directly reflect the degree of pressure fluctuations.Therefore,the detailed fluidization stability is analyzed combined the method of standard deviation of pressure fluctuations,power spectral density,etc.,for Geldart A particles.The results showed that maintaining an appropriate gas velocity resulted in an average bed pressure of around 2000 Pa.The main frequency is mainly concentrated around 1–1.5 Hz.Finally,a prediction model of the main frequency of pressure fluctuations is established,and the error can be controlled within±0.15.The investigation further proved the stable fluidization of Geldart A particles and provides a method for predicting the main frequency of pressure fluctuations in the gas–solid separation fluidized bed.

Heat Transfer in a Liquid-Solid Circulating Fluidized Bed Reactor with Low Surface Tension Media

Heat transfer characteristics between the immersed heater and the bed content were studied in the riser of a liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed, whose diameter and height were 0.102 m (ID) and 2.5 m, respectively. Effects of liquid velocity, particle size, surface tension of liquid phase and solid circulation rate on the overall heat transfer coefficient were examined. The heat transfer coefficient increased with increasing particle size or solid circulation rate due to the higher potential of particles to contact with the heater surface and promote turbulence near the heater surface. The value of heat transfer coefficient increased gradually with increase in the surface tension of liquid phase, due to the slight increase of solid holdup. The heat transfer coefficient increased with the liquid velocity even in the higher range, due to the solid circulation prevented the decrease in solid holdup, in contrast to that in the conventional liquid-solid fluidized beds. The values of heat transfer coefficient were well correlated in terms of dimensionless groups as well as operating variables.

CFD Model of Dense Gas-solid Systems in Jetting Fluidized Beds

A CFD code has been developed based on the conservation principles describing gas and solid flow in fluidized beds. This code is employed to simulate not only the spatiotemporal gas and solid phase velocities and voidage profiles in a two dimensional bed but also fluid dynamics in the jet region. The computational results show that gas flow direction is upward in the entire bed accompanied with random local circulations, whilst solid flow direction is upward at the center and downward near the wall. The radical reason of strong back mixing of solid particles and good transfer behavior between two phases is that the jet entrains solid particles. Numerical calculation indicates that gas velocity, solid velocity and pressure profile have a significant change when the voidage is 0 8. The simulated time averaged voidage profiles agree with the experimental results and simulated data reported by Gidaspow and Ettehadieh(1983). Therefore, CFD model can be regarded as a useful tool to study the jet characteristics in dense gas solid fluidized beds.

Comparison between the new mechanistic and the chaos scale-up methods for gas-solid fluidized beds

The chaotic scale-up approach by matching the Kolmogorov entropy(E_K) proposed by Schouten et al.(1996) was assessed in two geometrically similar gas–solid fluidized bed columns of 0.14 and 0.44 m diameter.We used four conditions of our validated new mechanistic scale-up method based on matching the radial profiles of gas holdup where the local dimensionless hydrodynamic parameters were similar as measured by advanced measurement techniques.These experimental conditions were used to evaluate the validity of the chaotic scale-up method,which were selected based on our new mechanistic scale-up methodology.Pressure gauge transducer measurements at the wall and inside the bed at various local radial locations and at three axial heights were used to estimate KE.It was found that the experimental conditions with similar or close radial profiles of the Kolmogorov entropy and with similar or close radial profiles of the gas holdup achieve the similarity in local dimensionless hydrodynamic parameters,and vice versa.

Performance characteristics of fluidized bed syngas methanation over Ni-Mg/Al_2O_3 catalyst

The performance characteristics of isothermal fluidized bed syngas methanation for substitute natural gas are investigated over a self-made Ni–Mg/Al2O3 catalyst. Via atmospheric methanation in a laboratory fluidized bed reactor it was clarified that the CO conversion varied in 5% when changing the space velocity in 40–120 L·g-1·h-1but the conversion increased obviously by raising the superficial gas velocity from 4 to12.4 cm·s-1. The temperature at 823 K is suitable for syngas methanation while obvious deposition of uneasyoxidizing Cγoccurs on the catalyst at temperatures around 873 K. From a kinetic aspect, the lowest reaction temperature is suggested to be 750 K when the space velocity is 60 L·g-1·h-1. Raising the H2/CO ratio of the syngas increased proportionally the CO conversion and CH4 selectivity, showing that at enough high H2/CO ratios the active sites on the catalyst are sufficient for CO adsorption and in turn the reaction with H2 for forming CH4.Introducing CO2 into the syngas feed suppresses the water gas shift and Boudouard reactions and thus increased H2 consumption. The ratio of CO2/CO in syngas should be better below 0.52 because varying the ratio from 0.52 to0.92 resulted in negligible increases in the H2 conversion and CH4 selectivity but decreased the CH4 yield.Introducing steam into the feed gas affected little the CO conversion but decreased the selectivity to CH4. The tested Ni–Mg/Al2O3 catalyst manifested good stability in structure and activity even in syngas containing water vapor.

Heterogeneity analysis of gas-solid flow hydrodynamics in a pilot-scale fluidized bed reactor

Mesoscale drag model is of crucial significance for the reliability and accuracy in coarse-grid EulerianEulerian two-fluid model(TFM)simulations of gas-solid flow hydrodynamics in fluidized bed reactors.Although numerous mesoscale drag models have been reported in the literature,a systematic comparison of their prediction capability from the perspective of heterogeneity analysis is still lacking.In this study,in order to investigate the effect of several typical drag models on the hydrodynamic behaviors,the nonuniformity analysis and the sensitivity to material properties,extensive coarse-grid TFM simulations of a bubbling pilot-scale fluidized bed reactor are carried out.The results demonstrate that the mesoscale drag models outperform the empirical drag model in terms of nonuniformity due to the consideration of the influence of the mesoscale structures on the drag force in the bubbling region.Furthermore,the results reveal that our previously developed three-marker gradient-based drag model considering the solid concentration gradient exhibits satisfactory performance in predicting the bubbling flow hydrodynamics.Besides,the material-property-dependent drag model considering the explicit effect of material properties on drag corrections is most sensitive to the particle diameter.This work provides guideline for possible future improvements of mesoscale models to simulate gas-solid flow more accurately and universally.

Developments in the understanding of gas–solid contact efficiency in the circulating fluidized bed riser reactor:A review

In the last several decades, circulating fluidized bed reactors have been studied in many aspects including hydrodynamics, heat and mass transfer and gas–solid two phase contacting. However, despite the abundance of review papers on hydrodynamics, there is no summary paper on gas–solid contact efficiency to date, especially on high density circulating fluidized beds(CFBs). This paper gives an introduction to, and a review of the measurement of contact efficiency in circulating fluidized bed riser. Firstly, the popular testing method of contact efficiency including the method of heating transfer experiment and hot model reaction are discussed, then previous published papers are reviewed based on the discussed methods. Some key results of the experimental work are described and discussed. Gas–solid contact efficiency is affected by the operating conditions as well as the particle size distribution. The result of the contact efficiency shows that the CFB riser is far away from an ideal plug flow reactor due to the characteristics of hydrodynamics in the riser. Lacunae in the available literature have been delineated and recommendations have been made for further work.

Study on Liquid-Phase Axial Dispersion in Converging Taper Liquid-Solid Fluidized Beds

It is found analytically that the parabolic radial profile of liquid velocity in cylindrical liquid-solid fluidized bed (LSFB) causes particles to circulate around some radial position. This is the main reason for liquid-phase axial dispersions. The liquid-phase axial dispersion is depressed as the liquid velocity presents a flatter Bessel radial profile in a converging taper LSFB. The void fraction increases with axial distance in converging taper LSFB. The behavior produces less liquid-phase axial dispersion. Experimental results show good coincidence.

Synthesis gas production using oxygen storage materials as oxygen carrier over circulating fluidized bed

A novel process for synthesis gas production over Circulating Fluidized Bed （CFB） using oxygen storage materials as oxygen carder was reported. First, oxygen in the air was chemically fixed and converted to lattice oxygen of oxygen storage materials over regenerator, and then methane was selectively oxidized to synthesis gas with lattice oxygen of oxygen storage materials over riser reactor. The results from simulation reaction of CFB by sequential redox reaction on a fixed bed reactor using lanthanum-based perovskite LaFeO3 and La0.8Sr0.2Fe0.9CO0.1O3 oxides prepared by sol-gel, suggested that the depleted oxygen species could be regenerated, and methane could be oxidized to synthesis gas by lattice oxygen with high selectivity. The partial oxidation of methane to synthesis gas over CFB using lattice oxygen of the oxygen storage materials instead of gaseous oxygen should be possibly applicable.

Fluidization dynamic characteristics of carbon nanotube particles in a tapered fluidized bed

In this work,a tapered fluidized bed(TFB)without a distributor for fluidizing carbon nanotube(CNT)was applied for improving the dead zone,blockage,and fracture of distributor,which occurred in actual production.Experiments were performed under different superficial gas velocities,static bed heights,CNT agglomerate size,and positions of pressure probe.To obtain multi-perspective and multi-scale understanding of fluidization dynamics of gas–CNT flow in the TFB without a distributor,the standard deviation,skewness,kurtosis,wavelet decompositions and homogeneous index analysis methods were adopted.Some noticeable phenomena were observed.Particle movements including inter-particle,gas–particle and particle–wall dominate dynamic characteristics.The amplitudes of pressure fluctuations of coarse agglomerated multi-walled CNT were more sensitive to the gas velocity than that of fine agglomerated multi-walled CNT.The sensitively of energy contribution of the meso-and macrostructures was that the sensitivity of the measured position was less than the sensitivity of the energy contribution by the changes of particle size,and the sensitivity of the energy contribution by the changes of particle size was less than the energy contribution by the changes of gas velocity.The fluidization quality of coarse agglomerated multi-walled CNT was better than that of fine agglomerated multi-walled CNT,which was verified by the skewness and wavelet analysis.

Novel concepts of mechanical technology for gas recovery from marine hydrate reservoir

According to the characteristics of marine natural gas hydrate,China has proposed the solid-state fluidization exploitation technology or natural gas hydrate,with subsea exploitation being key to the commercial recovery of gas.In this paper,two new integrated tools are proposed for breaking and collecting natural gas hydrate,and their working principles and steps are illustrated.Finite element analysis,three-dimensional modeling,and simulations were conducted for both exploitation tools to verify their technological feasibility.The results show that the two exploitation tools can effectively improve the efficiency of hydrate exploitation and ensure the stability of the hydrate reservoir.This provides a reference for further research on the solid-state fluidization exploitation technology of marine gas hydrates.

The Influence of Feeding Method on Fluidization Behavior of Fixed Fluidized Bed

An experimental installation of cold model simulation was set up to study the bed pressure drop in different regions of fixed fluidized bed reactor during top feeding and bottom feeding, respectively, at various gas velocities with the fluidization image of solid particles monitored at the same time. By comparing the changes in bed density and operating gas velocity in different regions of fixed fluidized bed reactor, the influence of top feeding and bottom feeding patterns on fluidization behavior could be investigated. The results showed that the bed density in top feeding reactor responded more stably to the change in gas velocity along with the advantage of working in a wider range of operating gas velocities. Based on this study, it is concluded that existing bottom feeding reactor configurations cannot meet the fluidization requirements; and optimization of bottom feeding reactor will be needed.

Determination of thermal parameters for waste liquid and gas fluidized-bed incinerator

Equations are established for calculation of dense and dilute phase zone combustion temperatures, quantity of auxiliary fuel and thermal efficiency for a fluidized bed incinerator with coal burnt as auxiliary fuel, waste liquid burnt in dense phase zone and waste gas burnt in dilute phase zone while there is a heat transfer, thereby providing theoretical basis for design of waste liquid and gas fluidized bed incinerators.

Temperature distribution and control in liquefied petroleum gas fluidized beds

Temperature distribution and control have been investigated in a liquefiedpetroleum gas (LPG) fluidized bed with hollow corundum spheres (A1_2O_3) of 0.867-1.212 mm indiameter at moderately high temperatures (800-1100℃). Experiments were carried out for the airconsumption coefficient α in the range of 0.3 to 1.0 and the fluidization number N in the range of1.3 to 3.0. Particle properties, initial bed height, α and N all affect temperature distribution inthe bed. Bed temperature can be adjusted about 200℃ by combined the adjusting of α and N.

Motion analysis of waste rock in gas-solids fluidized bed in coal dry beneficiation

Through the analysis of forces acting on the waste rock in the gas solid fluidized bed, the waste rock velocity equations and displacement equations in the gas solids fluidized bed were achieved and the influential factors of the waste rock motion in the fluidized bed were studied in this paper. The conclusions show that the primary factors influencing the waste rock motion are the waste rock grain size and the scraper velocity according to the computer simulation. This has provided the theoretical foundation both for improving the separating effect and ascertaining the length of the separating cell.