Numerical comparison of two modes of gas-solid riser operation： Fluid catalytic cracking vs CFB combustor

Two modes of gas-solid riser operation, i.e., fluid catalytic cracking （FCC） and circulating fluidized bed combustor （CFBC）, have been recognized in literature; particularly in the understanding of choking phenomena. This work compares these two modes of operation through computational fluid dynamics （CFD） simulation. In CFD simulations, the different operations are represented by fixing appropriate boundary conditions： solids flux or solids inventory. It is found that the FCC and CFBC modes generally have the same dependence of solids flux on the mean solids volume fraction or solids inventory. However, during the choking transition, the FCC mode of operation needs more time to reach a steady state; thus the FCC system may have insufficient time to respond to valve adjustments or flow state change, leading to the choking. The difference between FCC and CFBC systems is more pronounced for the systems with longer risers. A more detailed investigation of these two modes of riser operation may require a three-dimensional full loop simulation with dynamic valve adjustment.

Experimental analysis of volatile liquid injection into a fluidized bed

Experiments were conducted on a lab-scale fluidized bed to study the distribution of liquid ethanol injected into fluidized catalyst particles. Electrical capacitance measurements were used to study the liquid distribution inside the bed, and a new method was developed to determine the liquid content inside fluidized beds of fluid catalytic cracking particles. The results shed light on the complex liquid injection region and reveal the strong effect of superficial gas velocity on liquid distribution inside the fluidized bed, which is also affected by the imbibition of liquid inside particle pores. Particle internal porosity was found to play a major role when the changing mass of liquid in the bed was monitored. The results also showed that the duration of liquid injection affected liquid-solid contact inside the bed and that liouid-solid mixin~ was not homogeneous durin~ the limited liouid injection time.

Fluidization science,its development and future

By revisiting the three stage theory for the progress of science proposed by Taketani in 1942, the footmarks of fluidization research are examined. The bubbling and fast fluidization issues were emphasized so that the future offluidization research can be discussed among scientists and engineers in a wider perspective. The first cycle of fluidization research was started in the early 1940s by an initial stage of phenomenology. The second stage of structural studies was kicked off in the early 1950s with the introduction of the two phase theory. The third stage of essential studies occurred in the early 1960s in the form of bubble hydrodynamics. The second cycle, which confirmed the aforementioned three stages closed at the turn of the century, established a general understanding of suspension structures including agglomerating fluidization, bubbling, turbulent and fast fluidizations and pneumatic transport; also established powerful measurement and numerical simulation tools.After a general remark on science, technology and society issues the interactions between fluidization technology and science are revisited. Our future directions are discussed including the tasks in the third cycle, particularly in its phenomenology stage where strong motivation and intention are always necessary, in relation also to the green reforming of the present technology. A generalized definition of ＇fluidization＇ is proposed to extend fluidization principle into much wider scientific fields, which would be effective also for wider collaborations.

CFD simulation of gas-solid flow patterns in a downscaled combustor-style FCC regenerator

To investigate the gas-solid flow pattern of a combustor-style fluid catalytic cracking regenerator, a laboratory-scale regenerator was designed. In scaling down from an actual regenerator, large-diameter hydrodynamic effects were taken into consideration. These considerations are the novelties of the present study. Applying the Eulerian-Eulerian approach, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics （CFD） model of the regenerator was developed. Using this model, various aspects of the hydrodynamic behavior that are potentially effective in catalyst regeneration were investigated. The CFD simulation results show that at various sections the gas-solid flow patterns exhibit different behavior because of the asymmetric location of the catalyst inlets and the lift outlets. The ratio of the recirculated catalyst to spent catalyst determines the quality of the spent and recirculated catalyst mixing and distribution because the location and quality of vortices change in the lower part of the combustor. The simulation results show that recirculated catalyst considerably reduces the air bypass that disperses the catalyst particles widely over the cross section. Decreasing the velocity of superficial air produces a complex flow pattern whereas the variation in catalyst mass flux does not alter the flow pattern significantly as the flow is dilute.