Flow characteristics and Shannon entropy analysis of dense-phase pneumatic conveying under high pressure

Experiments of dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal using nitrogen are carded out in an experimental test facility with the conveying pressure up to 4. 0 MPa and the gas-solid ratio up to 450 kg/m^3. The influences of different conveying differential pressures, coal moisture contents, gas volume flow rates and superficial velocities on the solid-gas ratios are investigated. Shannon entropy analysis of pressure fluctuation time series is developed to reveal the flow characteristics. Through investigation of the distribution of the Shannon entropy under different conditions, the flow stability and the evolutional tendency of the Shannon entropy in different regimes and regime transition processes are discovered, and the relationship between the Shannon entropy and the flow regimes is also established. The results indicate that the solid-gas ratio and the Shannon entropy rise with the increase in conveying differential pressure. The solid-gas ratio and the Shannon entropy reveal preferable regularity with gas volume flow rates. The Shannon entropy is different for different flow regimes, and can be used to identify the flow regimes. Both mass flow rate and the Shannon entropy decrease with the increase in moisture contents. The Shannon entropy analysis is a feasible approach for researching the characteristics of flow regimes, flow stability and flow regime transitions in dense-phase pneumatic conveying under high pressure.

Multi-scale analysis on the pulverized coal flow behaviors under high,pressure dense-phase pneumatic conveying

To deeply knowledge of the flow behaviors of pulverized coal particles in dense gas-solid two-phase flow,a multi-scale analysis method based on electrostatic sensor array is applied for the multi-scale characterization of flow behaviors of dense gas-solid flow.The experimental results indicate that:for steady flow,with the increment of conveying pressure difference,the individual particles increase and the particle clusters decrease,the individual particle distribution is always inhomogeneous but the particle cluster distribution tends to be more homogeneous over the cross-section of pipe,while the average flow behavior of pulverized coal particles is always in the relatively static state.For unsteady flow,the average flow behavior of pulverized coal particles is dynamic,and the flow behaviors of the multi-scale flow structures over the cross-section of pipe are all significantly inhomogeneous.Moreover,the effect of particle size on flow behavior of pulverized coal is also investigated and validated.

About the Change in Air Pressure in the Pipeline during the Pneumatic Transportation of Cotton

The article is devoted to the study of the issues of determining the patterns of changes in air pressure along the length of a pneumatic transmission pipeline for raw cotton at different flow parameters and different pipeline diameters. Theoretical studies have proved the reduction of static and total pressure along the line of pneumatic cotton transportation. The dependence of the pressure change on the diameter of the transport line and the aerodynamic drag of the pipeline is obtained. The results obtained are recommended for use in the design of raw cotton pneumatic transport systems.

An investigation into flow mode transition and pressure fluctuations for fluidized dense-phase pneumatic conveying of fine powders

This paper presents the results of an ongoing investigation into the fluctuations of pressure signals due to solids-gas flows for dense-phase pneumatic conveying of fine powders. Pressure signals were obtained from pressure transducers installed along different locations of a pipeline for the fluidized dense-phase pneumatic conveying of fly ash （median particle diameter 30μm; particle density 2300 kg/m^3; loose- poured bulk density 700 kg/m^3） and white powder （median particle diameter 55 p.m; particle density 1600 kg/m^3 ; loose-poured bulk density 620 kg/m^3） from dilute to fluidized dense-phase. Standard deviation and Shannon entropy were employed to investigate the pressure signal fluctuations. It was found that there is an increase in the values of Shannon entropy and standard deviation for both of the prod- ucts along the flow direction through the straight pipe sections. However, both the Shannon entropy and standard deviation values tend to decrease after the flow through bend（s）, This result could be attributed to the deceleration of particles while flowing through the bends, resulting in dampened particle fluctua- tion and turbulence. Lower values of Shannon entropy in the early parts of the pipeline could be due to the non-suspension nature of flow （dense-phase）, i.e., there is a higher probability that the particles are concentrated toward the bottom of pipe, compared with dilute-phase or suspension flow （high velocity）, where the particles could be expected to be distributed homogenously throughout the pipe bore （as the flow is in suspension）. Changes in straight-pipe pneumatic conveying characteristics along the flow direction also indicate a change in the flow regime along the flow.

Experimental study on dense-phase pneumatic conveying of coal powder at high pressures

Clean utilization and conversion of coal resources is significant to China’s energy sustainable development.Entrained-flow coal gasification technology is an important method used for clean and efficient conversion of coal.The characteristics and stability of high-pressure dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal is crucial to the safe and stable operation of dry-feed entrained-flow coal gasifiers.Dense-phase pneumatic conveying experiments were carried out using a high-volatile bituminous coal in pipes with diameters of 25,15 and 10 mm,respectively,and at back pressures of 1.0-4.0 MPag.The conveying characteristics and effects of operating and structure parameters were studied.Pressure drop models were established for horizontal and vertical upward conveying.The prediction uncertainty was within±30%for the horizontal conveying and±20%for the vertical upward conveying.The relative standard deviation of solid flow rate was proposed to explain conveying stability.The effect of operating parameters on conveying stability was systematically analyzed.The gas velocity-related criterion was proposed for stable conveying.

Dense-phase pneumatic conveying under pressure in horizontal pipeline

The gas/solid flow regime of dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal under a pressure of 4.0 MPa in horizontal pipeline 10 mm in diameter, is monitored by electrical capacitance tomography （ECT） using 8 electrodes. To improve the accuracy of the capacitance measurement, an AC-based singlechannel capacitance measuring circuit was developed, and a modified iterative Landweber algorithm was used to reconstruct the image. A two-fluid model based on the kinetic theory of granular flow was used to study the three-dimensional steady-state flow behavior of dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal.

Determination of slug permeability factor for pressure drop prediction of slug flow pneumatic conveying

Current models for pressure drop prediction of slug flow pneumatic conveying in a horizontal pipeline system assume some type of steady state conditions for prediction, which limits their capability for increased predictive accuracy relative to experimental data. This is partly because of the nature of slug flow pneumatic conveying system, which, as a dynamic system, never becomes stable. By utilising conservation of mass （airflow）, a dynamic pressure analysis model is proposed on the basis of the derivative of the upstream pressure behaviour. The rate of air permeation through slug, one of the important factors in the conservation model, is expressed as a function of a slug permeability factor. Other factors such as slug velocity, slug length and the fraction of stationary layer were also considered. Several test materials were conveyed in single-slug tests to verify the proposed pressure drop model, showing good agreement between the model and experimental results.

Validated scale-up procedure to predict blockage condition for fluidized dense-phase pneumatic conveying systems

This paper presents results of an ongoing investigation into modelling fluidized dense-phase pneumatic conveying of powders. For the reliable design of dense-phase pneumatic conveying systems, an accurate estimation of the blockage boundary condition or the minimum transport velocity requirement is of sig- nificant importance. The existing empirical models for fine powder conveying in fluidized dense-phase mode are either based on only a particular pipeline and product or have not been tested for their accuracy under a wide range of scale-up conditions. In this paper, a validated test design procedure has been devel- oped to accurately scale-up the blockage boundary with the help of a modelling format that employs solids loading ratio and Froude number at pipe inlet conditions using conveying data of two different samples of fly ash, electro-static precipitation （ESP） dust and cement （particle densities： 2197-3637 kgJm3; loose poured bulk densities： 634-1070kg/m3; median size： 7-30 l^m）. The developed models （in power func- tion format） have been used to predict the blockage boundary for larger diameter and longer pipelines （e.g. models based on 69 mm I.D. ~ 168 m long pipe have been scaled up to 105 mm I.D. and 554 m length）. The predicted blockage boundaries for the scale-up conditions were found to provide better accuracy compared to the existing models.

Numerical simulation of fluidized dense-phase pneumatic conveying of powders to develop improved model for solids friction factor

Accurate prediction of the solids friction factor through horizontal straight pipes is important for the reliable design of a pneumatic conveying system, but it is a challenging assignment to date because of the highly concentrated, turbulent, and complex nature of the gas-solids mixture. Power-station fly ash was transported through different pipeline configurations. Numerical simulation of the dense-phase pneumatic conveying systems for three different solids and two different air flow rates have shown that particle and actual gas velocities and the ratio of the two velocities increases in the flow direction, whereas the reverse trend was found to occur for the solids volumetric concentration. To develop a solids friction-factor model suitable for dense-phase flow, we modified an existing pure dilute-phase model by incorporating sub-models for particle and actual gas velocities and impact and solids friction factor. The solids friction-factor model was validated by using it for scale-up predictions for total pipeline pressure drops in longer and larger pipes and by comparing experimental and predicted pneumatic conveying characteristics for different solids flow rates. The accuracy of the prediction was compared with a recently developed two-layer-based model. We discussed the effect of incorporating the particle and actual gas velocity terms in the solids friction-factor model instead of superficial air velocity.

Depicting the role of gas–solid interactions on the hydrodynamics of converging pneumatic riser

The understanding of the flow characteristics and effect of gas–solid interactions in pneumatic risers is fundamental to investigate to ensure effective design cost-effective operation.Thus,to understand the effect of gas–solid interactions on the hydrodynamics of newly proposed conversing risers,this study mainly focused on predicting pressure drop in the dilute phase pneumatic conveying system.The experiments were conducted in a converging riser having a convergence angle of 0.2693°.Various solid particles such as sago,black mustard,and alumina have been considered to study the effect of particle sizes and density on the pressure drop.The experimental outcomes indicate that the total pressure drop increases with an increase in the solid density and gas mass flow rate.Moreover,smaller particle sizes are also increased the pressure drop.An empirical correlation is developed for the prediction of total pressure dropΔPTin converging pneumatic riser via dimensional analysis.All dependent variables such as particle and air density,drag force,acceleration due to gravity,the mass flow rate of air and particle,the diameter of particle and converging riser,the height of converging riser were considered to develop the empirical correlation.The established relationship is tested,and experimental data have been fitted for its validation.The estimated relative error of less than 0.05 proved the significance of the developed correlation.Hence,it can be stated that the established relationship is useful in studying the effects of various parameters on the pressure drop across the length of the conversing riser.

Energy loss at bends in the pneumatic conveying of fly ash

An accurate estimation of the total pressure drop of a pipeline is important to the reliable design of a pneumatic conveying system. The present paper presents results from an investigation into the modelling of the pressure drop at a bend in the pneumatic conveying of fly ash. Seven existing bend models were used （in conjunction with solids friction models for horizontal and vertical straight pipes, and initial acceleration losses） to predict the total pipeline pressure drop in conveying fly ash （median particle diameter： 30 }zm; particle density： 2300 kg/m^3; loose-poured bulk density： 700 kg/m3） in three test rigs （pipelines with dimensions of 69 mm inner diameter （I.D.） × 168 m length; 105 mm I.D. × 168 m length; 69 mm I.D. × 554 m length）. A comparison of the pneumatic conveying characteristics （PCC） predicted using the seven bend models and experimental results shows that the predicted total pipeline PCC and trends depend on the choice of bend model. While some models predict trends that agree with the experimental results, other models predicted greater bend pressure drops for the dense phase of fly ash than for the dilute phase. Models of Pan, R. （1992）. Improving scale-up procedures for the design of pneumatic conveying systems. Doctoral dissertation, University of Wollongong, Australia, Pan, R., ＆ Wypych, P.W. （1998）. Dilute and dense phase pneumatic conveying of fly ash. In Proceedings of the sixth International Conference on Bulk Materials Storage and Transportation （pp. 183-189）, Wollongong, NSW, Australia and Chambers, A.J., ＆ Marcus, R.D. （1986）. Pneumatic conveying calculations. In Proceedings of the second International Conference on Bulk Materials Storage and Transportation （pp. 49-52）, Wollongong, Australia reliably predicted the bend losses for systems conveying fly ash over a large range of air flows.

Experimental Study on Wavy-Flow Pneumatic Conveying in Horizontal Pipe

Low-velocity pneumatic conveying systems have been developed to meet the requirement of low operation costs and have been widely used in chemical and process industries. However, the understanding of the mechanism is limited. This paper reports an experimental study on a slug-flow pneumatic conveying. Electrical capacitance tomography has been used to visualize plug shape and identify the flow pattern. Comparison was made between the experimental data of pressure drop with existed models.

Experimental and numerical study of installing a dune model in a 90° bend in the horizontal-vertical pneumatic conveying system

In the pneumatic conveying process,particles move to the bend under the influence of inertia to form a particle rope,which will cause serious wear between the particles and the pipe wall,and then the dune model is designed and installed in the 90° bend to reduce energy consumption and wear in this study.Firstly,the minimum pressure drop velocity of particles transported by different size dune models was obtained through experimental study.Then the energy saving mechanism of the dune model is studied by CFD-DEM coupling.The experimental results show that the installation of the dune model reduces the minimum pressure drop velocity.The numerical simulation results show that the number of collisions between the particles and the tube wall in the vertical tube decreases after the installation of the dune model,which reduces the energy loss.Moreover,the increasing of tail size of the dune model is beneficial to the diffusion and acceleration of the particles in the vertical tube.

A new design approach for the established flow region of vertical,dilute-phase pneumatic conveyors

An analysis has been completed for a comprehensive set of vertical,dilute-phase pneumatic conveying pressure drop data from an investigation by Flatow.The data were collected in the established flow region for eight different materials conveyed in 0.05-,0.10-,0.20-m internal diameter,20-m tall steel risers.Particle velocities derived from the pressure drop data were used to develop an equation of motion that includes terms for pipe diameter,terminal velocity,coefficient of restitution,and particle shape.The best data fit was achieved using the actual gas density and the actual gas velocity adjusted for voidage.Adjusting the terminal velocity for voidage,an approach recommended by many investigators,did not improve the fit for reasons identified by the present research.Using the equation of motion,particle velocities were predicted and used to calculate total pressure drops that are within±15%of the measured values.The calculated values also produce the characteristic trough-shaped total pressure drop curves allowing the minimum pressure drop gas velocity to be determined without recourse to a separate correlation.A comparison with other studies using shorter risers indicates that data from these studies likely include acceleration effects.A separate study will investigate this observation further.

高压浓相粉煤气力输送试验研究

在输送压力可达4.0 MPa,固气比高达500 kg/m3的高压气力输送试验台上,用氮气进行粉煤高压浓相气力输送试验研究。分别在不同的输送差压、充压风量和流化风量等条件下进行了输送试验,考察操作参数对煤粉质量流量和固气比等气力输送特征参数的影响。结果表明,煤粉的质量流量随着输送差压和充压风量的增大而增大;输送压力越高,差压的变化对煤粉的质量流量的影响越显著;固气比随着输送差压和充压风量的升高而增加,随着流化风量的增大先增大后减小;输送压力越高,固气比越大;保持进入发料罐的气体总量不变,当Qf<0.55 m3/h时,充压风量的变化对输送参数的影响主导作用,当Qf>0.55 m3/h时,流化风量的变化对输送参数的影响较大。

高压密相气力输送固相流量的实验与GRNN网络预测

煤粉高压密相气力输送是气流床加压气化的关键技术之一。在输送压力可达3.7MPa,管路固气比可达660kg/m3的气力输送实验台上进行系统的研究,考察输送压力、输送差压、流化风量、充压风量、补充风量、煤粉含水率等条件对固相质量流量的影响。结果表明:固相流量随着输送差压的增大而增大;随着流化风量的增大而先增大后趋向于某一定值;注入风量一定时,随着充压风量的增大而先减小后增大;与补充风量的大小基本无关;随着煤粉含水率的增大而减小。同时建立广义回归神经网络(GRNN)对固相流量进行了有效预测,最大预测误差在2.3%以内。上述工作将为系统的控制和运行提供一定的指导,同时为深化高压密相气力输送的研究奠定基础。

新型柱塞式气力输送系统的研制

阐明了一种适合我国火力发电厂特色的、先进的柱塞式气力输送设备的研制过程,并从工作原理入手说明了其主要优点和实用性,指出解决密封和磨损问题是研制的关键。

气固二相流中粉体的运动分析

空气输送属于气固二相流的范畴.对粉体与气流的相互作用力、单个粒子的运动、管道中粒子群的运动以及静止粉体层的压力损失进行了分析并推导了运动方程.

水平管中气力输送的细粉流动特性的研究

通过测定细粉粒在水平管中气力输送的最小压降输送气速，提出了在输送管和输送气性质一定的条件下，不同物料的最小压降输送气速与输送固气比及雷诺数的关联式。计算结果与实验值基本相符，相对误差＜１０％，所得结果可作为工业设计参考。

模糊控制器在气力送丝系统中的应用

在卷烟厂气力送丝系统中 ,由于管道阻力不断变化引起的输送气流压力波动 ,采用传统的PID控制方法难以获得满意的效果。因此设计了一种送丝压力模糊控制器 ,应用结果表明该送丝控制器较好地改善了控制系统的性能和适应能力 ,满足了生产需要。