Bubble size modeling approach for the simulation of bubble columns

The constant bubble size modeling approach(CBSM)and variable bubble size modeling approach(VBSM)are frequently employed in Eulerian–Eulerian simulation of bubble columns.However,the accuracy of CBSM is limited while the computational efficiency of VBSM needs to be improved.This work aims to develop method for bubble size modeling which has high computational efficiency and accuracy in the simulation of bubble columns.The distribution of bubble sizes is represented by a series of discrete points,and the percentage of bubbles with various sizes at gas inlet is determined by the results of computational fluid dynamics(CFD)–population balance model(PBM)simulations,whereas the influence of bubble coalescence and breakup is neglected.The simulated results of a 0.15 m diameter bubble column suggest that the developed method has high computational speed and can achieve similar accuracy as CFD–PBM modeling.Furthermore,the convergence issues caused by solving population balance equations are addressed.

Computational study of bubble coalescence/break-up behaviors and bubble size distribution in a 3-D pressurized bubbling gas-solid fluidized bed of Geldart A particles

A computational study was carried out on bubble dynamic behaviors and bubble size distributions in a pressurized lab-scale gas-solid fluidized bed of Geldart A particles.High-resolution 3-D numerical simulations were performed using the two-fluid model based on the kinetic theory of granular flow.A finegrid,which is in the range of 3–4 particle diameters,was utilized in order to capture bubble structures explicitly without breaking down the continuum assumption for the solid phase.A novel bubble tracking scheme was developed in combination with a 3-D detection and tracking algorithm(MS3 DATA)and applied to detect the bubble statistics,such as bubble size,location in each time frame and relative position between two adjacent time frames,from numerical simulations.The spatial coordinates and corresponding void fraction data were sampled at 100 Hz for data analyzing.The bubble coalescence/break-up frequencies and the daughter bubble size distribution were evaluated by using the new bubble tracking algorithm.The results showed that the bubble size distributed non-uniformly over cross-sections in the bed.The equilibrium bubble diameter due to bubble break-up and coalescence dynamics can be obtained,and the bubble rise velocity follows Davidson’s correlation closely.Good agreements were obtained between the computed results and that predicted by using the bubble break-up model proposed in our previous work.The computational bubble tracking method showed the potential of analyzing bubble motions and the coalescence and break-up characteristics based on time series data sets of void fraction maps obtained numerically and experimentally.

Inversion method of bubble size distribution based on acoustic nonlinear coefficient measurement

Measurements of bubble size distribution require the understanding of the acoustic characteristics of the medium.The bubbles show highly nonlinear properties under finite amplitude acoustic excitation,so the acoustic fields from bubble population are easily observed at the second harmonics as well as at the fundamental frequency,which shows that the nonlinear coefficient increases obviously.The inversion method of bubble size distribution based on nonlinear acoustic effects can peel off the influence of complex environment and obtain the size distribution coefficient information of bubbles more accurately.The previous nonlinear inversion methods of bubble size distribution are mostly based on the nonlinear scattering cross-section characteristics of bubbles.However,the stability of inversion is not high enough.In this paper,we introduce a new acoustic inversion method for bubble size distribution,which is based on the nonlinear coefficients of bubble medium.Compared with other inversion methods based on linear or nonlinear scattering cross section,the inversion method based on nonlinear coefficients of bubble medium proposed in this paper shows good robustness in both simulation and experiment.

Effect of bubble morphology and behavior on power consumption in non-Newtonian fluids’aeration process

Due to a prolonged operation time and low mass transfer efficiency, the primary challenge in the aeration process of non-Newtonian fluids is the high energy consumption, which is closely related to the form and rate of impeller, ventilation, rheological properties and bubble morphology in the reactor. In this perspective, through optimal computational fluid dynamics models and experiments, the relationship between power consumption, volumetric mass transfer rate(kLa) and initial bubble size(d0) was constructed to establish an efficient operation mode for the aeration process of non-Newtonian fluids. It was found that reducing the d0could significantly increase the oxygen mass transfer rate, resulting in an obvious decrease in the ventilation volume and impeller speed. When d0was regulated within 2-5 mm,an optimal kLa could be achieved, and 21% of power consumption could be saved, compared to the case of bubbles with a diameter of 10 mm.

Bubble performance of a novel dissolved air flotation(DAF) unit

ES-DAF, a novel DAF with low cost, high reliability and easy controllability, was studied. Without a costly air saturator, ES-DAF consists of an ejector and a static mixer between the pressure side and suction side of the recycle rotary pump. The bubble size distribution in this novel unit was studied in detail by using a newly developed CCD imagination through a microscope. Compared with M-DAF under the same saturation pressure, ES-DAF can produce smaller bubble size and higher bubble volume concentration, especially in lower pressure. In addition, the bubble size decreases with the increase of reflux ratio or decrease of superficial air-water ratio. These results suggested that smaller bubbles will be formed when the initial number of nucleation sites increases by enhancing the turbulence intensity in the saturation system.

Insight into selection of appropriate formulation for colloidal gas aphron(CGA)-based drilling fluids

Application of light-weight drilling fluids is essential to develop depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs.Recently,colloidal gas aphron(CGA)-based fluids have been introduced for such applications due to their ability in controlling fluid losses.In this work,a comprehensive experimental study was performed to choose the best formulation for CGA fluids by implementing static stability tests,rheological behavior measurements,and bubble size analyses of CGAs.Xanthan gum polymer and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate(SDBS),an anionic surfactant,and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide(CTAB),a cationic surfactant,were utilized to prepare CGAs.For the range of experiments conducted,the performance of CGA fluids prepared with SDBS was improved by increasing the polymer and surfactant concentrations.However,for CTAB,it was improved by an increase in the polymer concentration and a decrease in the surfactant concentration.The formation of white,long hair-like precipitates observed at high levels of CTAB caused CGA fluid to become rapidly unstable.Also,it was observed that the size of CGAs was significantly influenced by the polymer and surfactant concentrations.The most stable bubbles were formed at 6.86 g/L of polymer concentration.The results of this study provide insights into appropriate formulation for CGA-based fluids which could be potentially applicable in drilling operations.

BUBBLE CHARACTERISTICS IN A TWO-DIMENSIONAL VERTICALLY VIBRO-FLUIDIZED BED

Measurement of bubble size and local average bubble rise velocity was carried out in a vertically sinusoidal vibre-fluidized bed. Glass beads of Geldart group B particles were fluidized at different gas velocities, while the bed was vibrated at different frequencies and amplitudes to study their effects on the bubble behavior. This is compared with the case of no vibration in a two-dimensional bed and it is concluded that with vibration the local average bubble size dbav, decreases significantly, especially at minimum bubbling velocity. The average bubble size increases slightly with increasing vibration frequency and amplitude. The local average bubble rise velocity is higher than that with no vibration, though with increasing vibration frequency and amplitude, it does not change significantly.

Numerical investigation of gas bubble behavior in tapered fluidized beds

In this article, the behavior of gas bubbles in tapered fluidized beds is investigated with the use of a two- fluid model incorporating kinetic theory of granular flow. The effects of various parameters such as apex angle, particle size, and particle density on the size distribution and the rise velocity of gas bubbles were examined. In addition, the simulation results for the bubble fraction and axial velocity of gas bubbles were compared with experimental data reported in the literature and good agreement was observed. As the apex angle was increased, the fraction of gas bubbles with large sizes increased and the fraction of bubbles with small sizes decreased. As the particle size increased, the fraction of gas bubbles with large diameters decreased; however, the fraction of bubbles with medium diameters increased. The obtained results clearly indicate that an increased solid density increased the bubble rise velocity up to a specified height and reduced the velocity at larger heights, in tapered fluidized beds.

Effects of Atmospheric Pressure on Developmental Characteristics and the Stability of Air Entraining Agent for Concrete

In order to ascertain the effects of atmospheric pressure on developmental characteristics and the stability of AEA(air-entraining agent)solution bubbles,AEA solution experiments and AEA solution bubble experiments were,respectively,conducted in Peking(50 m,101.2 kPa)and Lhasa(3,650 m,63.1 kPa).Surface tensions and inflection-point concentrations were tested based on AEA solutions,whilst developmental characteristics,thicknesses and elastic coefficients of liquid films were tested based on air bubbles of AEA solutions.The study involved three types of AEAs,which were TM-O,226A,and 226S.The experimental results show that initial sizes of TM-O,226A,and 226S are,respectively,increased by 43.5%,17.5%,and 3.8%.With the decrease of ambient pressure,the drainage rate and the drainage index of AEA solution bubbles increase.Interference experiments show that the liquid film thicknesses of all tested AEA solution bubbles are in micron scales.When the atmospheric pressure decreases from 101.2 to 63.1 kPa,the liquid film thicknesses of three types of AEA solutions decrease in various degrees;and film elasticities at critical thicknesses increase.Liquid film of 226S solution bubbles is the most stable,presenting as a minimum thickness variation.It should be noted that elastic coefficient of liquid film only represents the level at critical thickness,thus it can not be applied as the only evaluating indicator of bubble stability.For a type of AEA,factors affecting the stability of its bubbles under low atmospheric pressure include initial bubbles size,liquid film thickness,liquid film elasticity,ambient temperature,etc.

Experimental study of non-uniform bubbles in a plume

The bubble plume is an important flow phenomenon, ubiquitous in many fields. The non-uniform bubbles in a plume are often simply considered as uniform and moving with a same slip velocity in an integral model. This study aims to have a better understanding of the behavior of the non-uniform bubbles in a plume. A set of experiments are conducted in a transparent water tank, in which the air plumes are generated through different injectors to vary the spectrum of the bubble size. The shadow images of the bubbles are simultaneously recorded with the illumination of a plane backlight. The algorithm used in the image analysis for tracing the bubbles is a newly developed multi-frame method based on the predictor-corrector method, with a good accuracy in estimating the size and the velocity of the overlapped bubbles based on the bubble shadow images. The bubbles are divided into several groups by their equivalent diameters with an interval of 0.5 mm. The spectrums of the bubble size and the void fraction are measured. It is found that the bubbles of different sizes show different dynamics features, resulting in a difference in the radial distribution. It is shown that the large bubbles gather in the center of the plume, while the medium bubbles spread the widest and even wider than the small bubbles. The difference can be explained by the effects of the transverse lift force and the amplitude of the bubble oscillation.

CFD-PBM simulation of bubble coalescence and breakup in top blown-rotary agitated reactor

Gas–liquid flow and bubble coalescence and breakup behavior were studied in a top blown-rotary agitated reactor for steelmaking.Several important models of bubble coalescence and breakup mechanisms were considered and compared,and water model experiment was carried out to verify and optimize the mathematical models.The influence of different operating parameters including paddle arrangement,stirring speed and top blowing flow rate on the bubble size and distribution was revealed.The results show that the predicted bubble size and distribution present a good agreement with the experimental results using the improved Luo–Laakkonen combination model.As the position of the stirring paddle moves from the center to the side wall,the bubble distribution in the reactor becomes more uniform,and the bubble size gradually decreases.With the increase in the paddle rotation speed,the bubble size decreases.However,this effect begins to weaken when the paddle rotation speed exceeds 150 r/min.Increasing the top blowing flow rate will increase the bubble size in the reactor,but it has a weak effect on bubble dispersion.When the top blowing rate exceeds 2.0 m^(3)/h,the bubble size in the bath is basically not less than 5 mm.

Simulation of bubble column reactors using CFD coupled with a population balance model

Bubble columns are widely used in chemical and biochemical processes due to their excellent mass and heat transfer characteristics and simple construction.However,their fundamental hydrodynamic behaviors,which are essential for reactor scale-up and design,are still not fully understood.To develop design tools for engineering purposes,much research has been carried out in the area of computationalfluid dynamics(CFD)modeling and simulation of gas-liquidflows.Due to the importance of the bubble behavior,the bubble size distribution must be considered in the CFD models.The population balance model(PBM)is an effective approach to predict the bubble size distribution,and great efforts have been made in recent years to couple the PBM into CFD simulations.This article gives a selective review of the modeling and simulation of bubble column reactors using CFD coupled with PBM.Bubble breakup and coalescence models due to different mechanisms are discussed.It is shown that the CFD-PBM coupled model with proper bubble breakup and coalescence models and interphase force formulations has the ability of predicting the complex hydrodynamics in differentflow regimes and,thus,provides a unified description of both the homo-geneous and heterogeneous regimes.Further study is needed to improve the models of bubble coalescence and breakup,turbulence modification in high gas holdup,and interphase forces of bubble swarms.

The pseudo-homogeneous flow regime in large-scale bubble columns:experimental benchmark and computational fluid dynamics modeling

A precise prediction of the fluid dynamics in bubble columns is of fundamental importance to correctly design“industrial-scale”reactors.It is known that the fluid dynamics in bubble columns is related to the prevailing bubble size distribution existing in the systems.In this respect,multiphase computational fluid dynamic simulations,in the Eulerian multi-fluid framework,are able to predict the local bubble size distributions and,thus,the global fluid dynamics from the fluid flow conditions and by applying modeling closured.In particular,in in“industrial-scale”reactors,owing to the large gas sparger openings,the“pseudo-homogeneous”flow regimedcharacterized by a wide spectrum of bubble sizesdis typically observed.Unfortunately,reliable predictions of the“pseudo-homogeneous”flow regime are limited up to now:one important drawback concerns the selection of appropriate models for the coalescence and break-up.A set of closure relations was collected at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf that represents the best available knowledge.Recently,the authors have extended the validation of this set of closure relations to the“pseudo-homogeneous”flow regime,by comparing the numerical predictions to a comprehensive experimental dataset(gas holdup,bubble size distributions and local flow measurements).Unfortunately,the previous study suffers from some limitations;in particular,in the previous experimental dataset,the bubble size distributions concerned only one axial position and a detailed characterization of the gas sparger was missing.This study contributes to the existing discussion and proposed a step ahead in the study of the“pseudo-homogenous”flow regime.To this end,we propose an experimental study,to improve the comprehensive dataset previously obtained.The novel datasetdobtained for two gas velocitiesdconcerns bubble size distributions at different axial and radial positions and a precise characterization of the gas sparger.The comprehensive bubble size distribution dataset may serve as basis to improve the coalescence and break-up closures;conversely,the precise characterization of the gas sparger served as an improved input to the numerical simulations.The numerical results,with two different lift force implementations,have been compared with the whole dataset and have been critically analyzed.Reasons for the discrepancies between the numerical results and the experimental data have been identified and may serve as basis for future studies.

Eulerian simulations of bubbling and jetting regimes in a fluidized bed

The mode of gas-injection is known to influence the local bubbling and jetting behavior in gas-solid fluidized beds.The resultant bubbling behavior influences the mixing and distribution of the gas and solid phases,which in turn can influence heat and mass transfer,and reaction performance in large-scale gas-solid fluidized beds.In the present work,we simulated unary gas-solid flow of particles differing in density,fluidized using uniform and two-jet distributors at different UG.The predictions are validated using the measured local gas-phase area fraction fluctuations,bubble size distribution,and bubble rise velocity.The effect of the models used for calculation of gas-solid drag(βgs),solids frictional pressure(Psf),and specularity coefficient(φ)on the bubbling characteristics under dense and dilute flow con-ditions are analysed.Under dense bed condition(UG=1.1 Umf),an increase in the Psf and φ led to an increase in solids viscosity,which in turn led to a decrease in the bubble rise velocity and size.In the case of the two-jet distributor,an increase in βgs predicted merging of the larger jets and formation of larger bubbles.Further,to predict the different jetting regimes(isolated jets,breakage/merging of jets,and generation of larger bubbles)at different UG correctly,we show that different βgs models are required.Whereas,in the case of gas-solid flows comprised of particles of different density fluidized with the uniform distributor,a single βgs model predicted the bubbling characteristics reasonably well with measurements.

Enhancement of ultrasonic disintegration of sewage sludge by aeration

Sonication is an effective way for sludge disintegration,which can significantly improve the efficiency of anaerobic digestion to reduce and recycle use of sludge.But high energy consumption limits the wide application of sonication.In order to improve ultrasonic sludge disintegration efficiency and reduce energy consumption,aeration was introduced.Results showed that sludge disintegration efficiency was improved significantly by combining aeration with ultrasound.The aeration flow rate,gas bubble size,ultrasonic density and aeration timing had impacts on sludge disintegration efficiency.Aeration that used in later stage of ultrasonic irradiation with low aeration flow rate,small gas bubbles significantly improved ultrasonic disintegration sludge efficiency.At the optimal conditions of 0.4 W/m L ultrasonic irradiation density,30 m L/min of aeration flow rate,5 min of aeration in later stage and small gas bubbles,ultrasonic sludge disintegration efficiency was increased by 45% and one third of ultrasonic energy was saved.This approach will greatly benefit the application of ultrasonic sludge disintegration and strongly promote the treatment and recycle of wastewater sludge.

Carbonation Behavior Assessment of RH Slag Batch after Aqueous Extraction at Environmental Pressure

In order to assess CO2 sequestration amount and carbonation degree for RH slag at surrounding pressure, carbonation process of RH slag batch in lab is investigated, and the parameters of carbonation degree and CO2 sequestration amount are the targets, and the relationship between both and relevant factors, such as CO2 flow, gas bubble size etc. is originally discussed. The carbonation degree increases when temperature increases before 60 oC, then decreases. Particle size has a positive effect on carbonation degree, and carbonation degree for 0.5 L/min is bigger than those for 0.1 L/min and 1.0 L/min. When small gas bubble generator is adopted, carbonation degree and CO2 sequestration amount is improved. The maximum carbonation degree and CO2 sequestration amount is 34% and 178.65 g/kgslag, respectively when 38 μm RH slag batch is carbonated for 90 min at 60 oC under the conditions that CO2 flow is 0.5 L/min and bubble size equals 5 mm. CaCO3 and MgCO3 phases exists through XRD analysis, showing that carbonation process is effective. Carbonation degree model is established assuming carbonation reaction occurs on the active surface of RH slag batch. This model fits very well by comparison between experimental results and model results.