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.

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.

Effect of elevated temperature and silica sand particle size on minimum fluidization velocity in an atmospheric bubbling fluidized bed

The impact of temperature and particle size on minimumfluidizing velocity was studied and analyzed in a small pilot scale of bubbling fluidized bed reactor.This study was devoted to providing some data about fluidization to the literature under high temperature conditions.The experiments were carried out to evaluate the minimum fluidizing velocity over a vast range of temperature levels from 20℃ to 850℃ using silica sand with a particle size of 300-425μm,425-500μm,500-600μm,and 600-710μm.Furthermore,the variation in the minimumfluidized voidage was determined experimentally at the same conditions.The experimental data revealed that the Umf directly varied with particle size and inversely with temperature,whileεmf increases slightly with temperature based on the measurements of height at incipient fluidization.However,for all particle sizes used in this test,temperatures above 700℃ has a marginal effect on Umf.The results were compared with many empirical equations,and it was found that the experimental result is still in an acceptable range of empirical equations used.In which,our findings are not well predicted by the widely accepted correlations reported in the literature.Therefore,a new predicted equation has been developed that also accounts for the affecting of mean particle size in addition to other parameters.A good mean relative deviation of 5.473% between the experimental data and the predicted values was estimated from the correlation of the effective dimensionless group.Furthermore,the experimental work revealed that the minimum fluidizing velocity was not affected by the height of the bed even at high temperature.

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.

Hydrodynamic analysis of carbon nanotube clusters in distributor-less conical fluidized beds with step-by-step scaling

As a high-performance material with great application potential,the application of carbon nanotubes has been limited by their production volume.A distributor-less conical fluidized bed is the main equipment used in the industrial production of carbon nanotubes.To improve the production volume and product quality of carbon nanotubes,the study of fluidized-bed-diameter scaling is important.Three different diameters of distributor-less conical fluidized beds were established,and then the particle behavior and bubble characteristics of carbon nanotube clusters at these bed diameters were investigated.Time-series and wavelet analysis methods were used to analyze the pressure-fluctuation signals inside the fluidized beds.Results showed that the distributor-less design caused the airflow to break through the middle of the bed,which did not change with the change in bed diameter.The powder-bridging phenomenon of carbon nanotube clusters in a 100-mm-diameter fluidized bed was related to the special microstructure of carbon nanotube clusters.The frequency of pressure fluctuations in the bed decreased nonlinearly with increasing bed diameter.This study can guide the design and scale-up of distributor-less conical fluidized beds,especially for the scale-up of carbon nanotube production equipment,which can contribute to the improvement of carbon nanotubes’capacity and quality in industrial production.

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.

Particle residence time distribution and axial dispersion coefficient in a pressurized circulating fluidized bed by using multiphase particle-in-cell simulation

The particle residence time distribution(RTD)and axial dispersion coefficient are key parameters for the design and operation of a pressurized circulating fluidized bed(PCFB).In this study,the effects of pressure(0.1-0.6 MPa),fluidizing gas velocity(2-7 m·s^(-1)),and solid circulation rate(10-90 kg·m^(-2)·s^(-1))on particle RTD and axial dispersion coefficient in a PCFB are numerically investigated based on the multiphase particle-in-cell(MP-PIC)method.The details of the gas-solid flow behaviors of PCFB are revealed.Based on the gas-solid flow pattern,the particles tend to move more orderly under elevated pressures.With an increase in either fluidizing gas velocity or solid circulation rate,the mean residence time of particles decreases while the axial dispersion coefficient increases.With an increase in pressure,the core-annulus flow is strengthened,which leads to a wider shape of the particle RTD curve and a larger mean particle residence time.The back-mixing of particles increases with increasing pressure,resulting in an increase in the axial dispersion coefficient.

Simulation of gas-solid flow characteristics of the circulating fluidized bed boiler under pure-oxygen combustion conditions

Under the pressure of carbon neutrality,many carbon capture,utilization and storage technologies have witnessed rapid development in the recent years,including oxy-fuel combustion(OFC)technology.However,the conventional OFC technology usually depends on the flue gas recirculation system,which faces significant investment,high energy consumption,and potential low-temperature corrosion problem.Considering these deficiencies,the direct utilization of pure oxygen to achieve particle fluidization and fuel combustion may reduce the overall energy consumption and CO_(2)-capture costs.In this paper,the fundamental structure of a self-designed 130 t·h^(-1) pure-oxygen combustion circulating fluidized bed(CFB)boiler was provided,and the computational particle fluid dynamics method was used to analyze the gas-solid flow characteristics of this new-concept boiler under different working conditions.The results indicate that through the careful selection of design or operational parameters,such as average bed-material size and fluidization velocity,the pure-oxygen combustion CFB system can maintain the ideal fluidization state,namely significant internal and external particle circulation.Besides,the contraction section of the boiler leads to the particle backflow in the lower furnace,resulting in the particle suspension concentration near the wall region being higher than that in the center region.Conversely,the upper furnace still retains the classic core-annulus flow structure.In addition to increasing solid circulation rate by reducing the average bed-material size,altering primary gas ratio and bed inventory can also exert varying degrees of influence on the gas-solid flow characteristics of the pure-oxygen combustion CFB boiler.

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.

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.

Fluidization characteristics of different sizes of quartz particles in the fluidized bed

Fluidization characteristics of quartz particles with different sizes are experimentally investigated in a fluidized bed with an inner diameter of 300 mm and height of 8250 mm.Results show that the average solid holdup increases with the increase in superficial gas velocity and the decrease in initial solid holdup in the dense zone of the fluidized bed.The average cross-sectional solid holdup decreases with increasing bed height and superficial gas velocity.The bed expansion coefficient increases with the increase in superficial gas velocity and the decrease in solid holdup.Correlations of average solid holdup,average cross-sectional solid holdup and bed expansion coefficient are also established and discussed.These correlations can provide guidelines for better understanding of the fluidization characteristics.

Mathematical Modelling and Design of Helical Coil Heat Exchanger for Production of Hot Air for Fluidized Bed Dryer

In global industrialization, efforts have been made to increase the rate of heat transfer in heat exchanger, minimizing the size of heat exchanger to reduce cost as well as increasing the effectiveness. Helical coil heat exchanger (HCHE) has been proven to be effective in improving heat transfer due to its large surface area. In this study, HCHE was designed to provide hot air needed for fluidized bed drying processes. The HCHE design model was fabricated and evaluated to study the efficiency of the hot air output for a laboratory fluidized bed dryer. The mathematical model for estimation of the final (output) temperature of air, Taf, passing through the HCHE was developed and validated experimentally. The drying of bitter kola particulates was carried out with a drying temperature of 50C 3C and a bed height-to-bed diameter ratio (H/D) of 1.5. The time taken to dry bitter kola particulates to 0.4% moisture content was 1 hour 45 minutes. Hence, HCHE is recommended for use in the production of hot for laboratory-scale fluidized bed dryers.

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.

Characteristics of fluidization and dry-beneficiation of a wide-size-range medium-solids fluidized bed

Wide-size-range medium-solids are used in a modularized coal beneficiation demonstration system with a gas-solid fluidized bed. The characteristics of fluidization and dry-beneficiation of the medium solids were studied. The numerical simulation results show that 0.15–0.06 mm fine magnetite powder can decrease the disturbances caused by the bubbles. This is beneficial to the uniformity of the gas-solid interactions and thus to the uniformity and stability of the bed density and height. The experimental results show that, with an increase in the fine coal content in medium solids, both the fluidization quality and the beneficiation performance of the bed decreased gradually. When the fine coal content was no more than 13%, a relatively high superficial gas velocity increased the beneficiation efficiency. When the content was more than 13%, part of the fine coal was separated, leading to product layers. The separation efficiency was therefore gradually decreased. The models for predicting the bed density standard deviation and the probable error, E, value were both proposed. The E value can reach to 0.04–0.07 g/cm^3 under the optimized experimental parameters. This work provides a foundation for the adjustment of the bed density and the separation performance of the modularized 40–60 ton per hour dry coalbeneficiation industrial system.

Heat and Mass Transfer for a Nanofluid Flow in Fluidized Bed Dryer in Presence of Induced Magnetic Field

This research entails the study of heat and mass transfer of nanofluid flow in a fluidized bed dryer used in tea drying processes in presence of induced magnetic field. A mathematical model describing the fluid flow in a Fluidized bed dryer was developed using the nonlinear partial differential equations. Due to their non-linearity, the equations were solved numerically by use of the finite difference method. The effects of physical flow parameters on velocity, temperature, concentration and magnetic induction profiles were studied and results were presented graphically. From the mathematical analysis, it was deduced that addition of silver nanoparticles into the fluid flow enhanced velocity and temperature profiles. This led to improved heat transfer in the fluidized bed dryer, hence amplifying the tea drying process. Furthermore, it was noted that induced magnetic field tends to decrease the fluid velocity, which results in uniform distribution of heat leading to efficient heat transfer between the tea particles and the fluid, thus improving the drying process. The research findings provide information to industries on ways to optimize thermal performance of fluidized bed dryers.

PHASE HOLDUP AND LIQUID DISPERSION IN GAS-LIQUID-SOLID CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BEDS

Axial and radial profiles of gas and solids holdups have been studied in agas-liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed at 140mm i.d..Experimental results indicate that the axialand radial profiles of gas and solids holdups are more uniform than those in a conventionalfluidized bed.Axial and radial liquid dispersion coefficients in the gas-liquid-solid circulating fluidizedbed are investigated for the first time.It is found that axial and radial liquid dispersioncoefficients increases with increaes in gas velocity and solids holdup.The liquid velocity has littleinfluence on the axial liquid dispersion coefficient,but would adversely affect the redial liquiddispersion coefficient.It can be concluded that the gas-liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed hasadvantages such as better interphase contact and lower liquid dispersion along the axial directionover the expanded bed.

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.

Computational investigation of contraction behavior in a liquid-solid fluidized bed

Contraction behavior of a liquid-solid fluidized bed has been investigated numerically. Based on a simple hydrodynamic model proposed by Brandani and Zhang （2006）, a case study for solid particles with a density of 3,000 kg/m^3 and a diameter of 2.5× 10^-3 m is simulated in a two-dimensional fluidized bed （0.50 m height and 0.10 m width）. Due to the continuity of numerical computation, there is a transition region between two zones of different solid holdups when the liquid velocity is suddenly changed. The top, middle and bottom interfaces are explored to obtain a reasonable interface height. The simulated results show that the steady time of the middle interface is more close to Gibilaro＇s theory and suitable for describing the contraction process of a phase interface. Furthermore, the effect of liquid velocity and particle diameter is simulated in the other two-dimensional fluidized bed （0.10 m height and 0.02 m width） where the solid particles are glass beads whose properties are similar to those of the catalyst particles used in the alkylation process. The results also show good agreement with Gibilaro＇s theory, and that larger particles lead to a more obvious bed contraction.

Effects of particle type on the particle fluidization and distribution in a liquid–solid circulating fluidized bed boiler

A liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed boiler is designed and built for visualization research by applying the fluidized bed heat transfer and fouling prevention technology to the water side of the boiler. Four types of engineering plastic particles with different physical properties are selected as the solid working media. The effect of particle types on the fluidization and distribution of particles in the boiler is investigated under different feedwater flow rates and amount of added particles by using the charge couple device image measurement and acquisition system. The results show that all kinds of particles can't be normally fluidized and accumulate in the drum at low amount of added particles and feedwater flow rate. The particles with great density and low sphericity are more likely to accumulate. The average solid holdup in the riser tubes increases with the increase in feedwater flow rate and the amount of added particles. The non-uniform degree of particle distribution in the riser tubes generally decreases with the increase in feedwater flow rate and the amount of added particles. The particles with small density and settling velocity have high average solid holdup in the riser tubes under close sphericity. In generally,the smaller the density and settling velocity, the more uniform the particle distribution in the riser tubes.Three-dimensional diagrams of the non-uniform degree of particle distribution in the riser tubes of the boiler are established.

Axial Liquid Dispersion in Gas-Liquid-Solid Circulating Fluidized Bed

The effects of liquid viscosities, solid circulating rates, liquid and gas velocities and phase holdups on the axial dispersion coefficient, Dax, were investigated in a gas-liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed (GLSCFB).Liquid viscosity promotes the axial liquid backmixing when solid particles and gas bubbles are present. Increases in gas velocities and solid circulating rates lead to higher Dax. The effects of liquid velocity on Dax are associated with liquid viscosity. Compared with conventional expanded beds, the GLSCFBs hold less axial liquid dispersion,approaching ideal plug-flow reactors.