Influence of syngas components and ash particles on the radiative heat transfer in a radiant syngas cooler

Radiant syngas cooler(RSC)is widely used as a waste heat recovery equipment in industrial gasification.In this work,an RSC with radiation screens is established and the impact of gaseous radiative property models,gas components,and ash particles on heat transfer is investigated by the numerical simulation method.Considering the syngas components and the pressure environment of the RSC,a modified weighted-sum-of-gray-gases model was developed.The modified model shows high accuracy in validation.In computational fluid dynamics simulation,the calculated steam production is only 0.63%in error with the industrial data.Compared with Smith's model,the temperature decay along the axial direction calculated by the modified model is faster.Syngas components are of great significance to heat recovery capacity,especially when the absorbing gas fraction is less than 10%.After considering the influence of particles,the outlet temperature and the proportion of radiative heat transfer are less affected,but the difference in steam output reaches 2.7 t·h^(-1).The particle deposition on the wall greatly reduces the heat recovery performance of an RSC.

Analysis of the Erosion-Corrosion Mechanism of the Air Cooler in a Hydrocracking Unit:A Numerical and Experimental Study

Corrosion leakages often occur in the air cooler of a hydrocracking unit,with the failure sites mainly located in the entrance area of the tubes.An analysis of the macroscopic morphology and corrosion products confirmed that the damage was caused by erosion-corrosion(E-C).Numerical and experimental methods were applied to investigate the E-C mechanism in the air cooler.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)was used to calculate the hydrodynamic parameters of the air cooler.The results showed that there was a biased flow in the air cooler,which led to a significant increase in velocity,turbulent kinetic energy and wall shear within 0.2 m of the tube entrance.A visualization experiment was then performed to determine the principles of migration and transformation of multiphase flow in the air cooler tubes.Various flow patterns(pure droplet flow,mist flow,and annular flow)and their evolutionary processes were clearly depicted experimentally.The initiation mechanism and processes leading to the development of E-C in the air cooler were also determined.This study provided a comprehensive explanation for the E-C failures that occur in air coolers during operation.

Flow equation and similarity criterion during centrifugal casting in micro-channel

Liquid metal filling flow process in the microscale during the centrifugal casting process was studied by means of similar physical simulation. The research was focused on derived similarity criterion. Based on the traditional flow equations, the flow equation and the Bernoulli＇s equation for liquid metal flows in micro-scale space were derived, which provides a mathematical model for numerical simulation of micro-scale flow. In the meanwhile, according to the micro-flow equation and the similarity theory, the similarity criterion for the physical simulation of the mold filling behaviors was presented under centrifugal force field, so as to achieve the visual observation and quantitative analysis of micro-flow process.

Solid-phase sintering process and forced convective heat transfer performance of porous-structured micro-channels

A solid-phase sintering process for the low-cost fabrication of composite micro-channels was developed. Three kinds of composite micro-channels with metallic porous structures were designed. The sintering process was studied and optimized to obtain porous-structured micro-channels with high porosity. The flow resistance and heat transfer performance in the composite micro-channels were investigated. The composite micro-channels show acceptable flow resistance, significant enhancement of heat transfer and dramatic improvement of flow boiling stability, which indicates a promising prospect for the application in forced convective heat transfer.

Design calculation of porous ceramics tube type dew point indirect evaporative cooler

To improve the wall surface hydrophilicity of a tube type indirect evaporative cooler,a new method adopting porous ceramics is proposed.This method realizes the combination of porous ceramics and the evaporative cooling technique.The design calculation of the porous ceramics tube type dew point indirect evaporative cooler are carried out from such aspects as the volumes and status parameters of the primary and secondary air,the cooler structure,the heat transfer of the solid porous ceramic tubes and the resistance of the cooler.The calculation results show that the design is reasonable.Finally,based on the design calculation,the porous ceramics tube type dew point indirect evaporative cooler is successfully manufactured.

Influence of regenerator flow resistance on stability of pulse tube cooler

Based on the fluid network theory,the possibility of utilizing regenerator flow resistance to suppress the direct current （DC） flow induced by the introduction of a double-inlet in a pulse tube cooler is investigated theoretically. The calculation results show that increasing regenerator flow resistance can lead to a smaller extent of DC flow.Therefore,a better stability performance of the cooler can be realized.On this basis,the stability characteristics of the cooler with various regenerator matrix arrangements are studied by experiments.By replacing 30% space of 247 screens of stainless steel mesh at the cold part of the regenerator by lead balls of 0.25 mm diameter,a long-time stable temperature output at 80 K region is achieved. This achievement provides a new way to obtain stable performance for pulse tube coolers at high temperature and is helpful for its application.

Similar physical simulation of microflow in micro-channel by centrifugal casting process

By means of similar physical simulation, liquid metal filling flow pattern in the microscale during the centrifugal casting process was studied. It was found that, in microscale, the flow channel with the maximum cross-sectional area was filled first, and the micro flow channels with 0.1 mm in diameter were filled when the rotational speed was increased to 964 r/min. The total fluid energy remained constant during the mould filling, and the changes of cross-sectional area only occurred in the microflow channels with 0.3 mm in diameter. Filling velocity increased with processing time, and a peak value was achieved rapidly, followed by a gentle increase as the process proceeded further. The time required to achieve the peak filling rate decreased dramatically with increase of rotational speed.

Effect of sinter layer porosity distribution on flow and temperature fields in a sinter cooler

When sinters are filled into the sinter cooler from the sintering machine, it is commonly seen that, due to segregation effects, sinters of larger size usually accumulate closer to the inner wall of the sinter cooler, whereas those of smaller size are to the outer wall. This nonuniform distribution of sinters has led to uneven cooling effect throughout the cooler. This causes the sinters leaving the cooler at a large temperature difference. This undesired temperature difference leads to the deformation and even the destruction of the conveyors. The computational fluid dynamics （CFD） technique was used in the present work to investigate the heat and fluid flow phenomena within the sinter cooler corresponding to the different distribution of sinter layer porosity, which was highly dependent on the arrangement and orientation of sinters within the sinter cooler. It is confirmed that a high mass flow rate within the sinter layer causes a low temperature region and vice versa. The flow fields for vertically reducing porosity distribution and random distribution are almost identical indicating the relative insignificance of convective heat transfer mechanism.

Designing for Long Campaign Life Blast Furnace (1)──The Mathematical Model of Temperature Field for Blast Furnace Lining and Cooling Apparatus and New Concept of Long Campaignship Blast Furnace Cooler Design

The physical and mathematical model of temperature field for blast furnace stave coolers was established. The computation results show that the heat resistance of 2-6 mm water scale within the cooling pipe is about 7%-20% of the total heat resistance of cooling stave body, as for drilling duct type, the heat resistance of 2-6 mm water scale is about 88%-98% of the total heat resistance. Using drilling duct or full cast pipe can eliminate gas clearance and coating layer between pipes and cast iron body and reduce the heat resistance of the cooler sharply and improve the coefficient of heat transfer to a great extent. The water velocity within coolers can be kept at the 1evel of 0.5- 1 .5 m/s, the higher water velocity can not decrease the hot surface temperature, but can increase energy consumption for cooling water.

Micromixing Efficiency of Viscous Media in Micro-channel Reactor

Micromixing efficiency of viscous media in Y-type micro-channel reactor was studied by using iodide-iodate test reaction as working system.Experiments were carried out in water-glycerin mixtures with 7 different viscosities.The experimental results showed that segregation index of the micro-channel reactor increases with the decrease of volumetric flow rate and the increase of solution viscosity.Based on the incorporation model,the micromixing time tm of the micro-channel reactor was estimated in the range of 10-4-10-3s at different viscosities,which indicated that the micro-channel reactor possesses a much better micromixing performance compared to the stirred tank(tm=0.02-0.2s).

Ammonium Salt Deposition Characteristics in an Air Cooler System Based on the Coupling of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Simulation

The ammonium salt corrosion is a typical failure mode for the hydrogenation reaction effluent air cooler(REAC) system. In order to investigate the corrosion characteristics in the REAC system, numerical simulations were performed by using the mixture model, the heating transfer model, and the particles tracking model. The results show that the differences between the temperature and the velocity at each cross section of the first-row and second-row tubes are small. The inertia of the particles plays an important role in the particle’s deposition, and the smaller particles distribute more uniformly in the air cooler. However, for larger particles, they prefer falling from the inner side of the vertical elbow, and preferentially depositing at the inlet header and pipes before saturation. In the heat exchanger tubes, the particle deposition number is larger in the second-row tubes than that in the first-row tubes, and the high-risk tubes mainly concentrate on the middle and right side of the air cooler. The kinetic parameters of the particles are in accordance with the blocking-prone position in many real operating conditions.

Improved catalytic performance of Ni catalysts for steam methane reforming in a micro-channel reactor

Milliseconds process to produce hydrogen by steam methane reforming （SMR） reaction, based on Ni catalyst rather than noble catalyst such as Pd, Rh or Ru, in micro-channel reactors has been paid more and more attentions in recent years. This work aimed to further improve the catalytic performance of nickel-based catalyst by the introduction of additives, i.e., MgO and FeO, prepared by impregnation method on the micro-channels made of metal-ceramic complex substrate. The prepared catalysts were tested in the same micro-channel reactor by switching the catalyst plates. The results showed that among the tested catalysts Ni-Mg catalyst had the highest activity, especially under harsh conditions, i.e., at high space velocity and/or low reaction temperature. Moreover, the catalyst activity and selectivity were stable during the 12 h on stream test even when the ratio of steam to carbon （SIC） was as low as 1.0. The addition of MgO promoted the active Ni species to have a good dispersion on the substrate, leading to a better catalytic performance for SMR reaction.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation on Erosion Corrosion of the Air Cooler Tube Bundle in a Residue Hydrotreating Unit

Corrosion leakage occurred in the 14th tube bundle in the first row of a residual oil hydrotreating air cooler after operating for two years.The failure location was 0.5 m from the outlet header box.In this paper,the erosion corrosion of the air cooler tube bundle was investigated by experimental and numerical methods.Visual inspection,scanning electron microscopy(SEM),and X-ray diffraction(XRD)experiments were performed,and the failure morphology and material composition confirmed that the damage was caused by erosion corrosion.The shear stress transport k–ωturbulence model(SST-k–ω)was then used to investigate the flow and erosion corrosion characteristics,combined with mass transfer,corrosion rate,and ionization equilibrium models.The numerical simulation results revealed that the water phase volume fraction increased with flow and heat transfer in the fluid,which increased the mass flow rate and concentration of hydrogen sulfide.The mass transfer coefficient and corrosion rate were proposed as important parameters to characterize erosion corrosion.Moreover,the local concentration of wall shear stress was found to increase the risk of erosion corrosion.The predicted high-risk area was consistent with the actual failure area,which verified that this failure incident was attributable to erosion corrosion by the water phase.

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF GASEOUS FLOW IN MICRO-CHANNELS

The algorithm of gaseous flow in bi-dimensional micro-channels is set up andthe corresponding program based on micro-flow theory is presented. Gaseous flow in micro-channels isnumerically analyzed and the pressure drop along the duct as well .as the velocity profile in themicro-channels is obtained. The numerical results agreed well with the experimental results in thereferences. Moreover, the effects of Kn, sigma_v and Re on the velocity profiles are analyzed. It isfound that for Kn>0.001, with increasing Kn number, the slip velocity on the wall boundaryincreases; the tangential momentum coefficient sigma_v affects the slip velocity greatly. The slipvelocity increases with decreasing a, In the slip flow regime and for low Re numbers, the slipvelocity is little influenced by the Re number.

Numerical Simulation and Optimization of Perforated Tube Trolley in Circular Cooler

Three symmetrically perforated tubes were arranged in the circular cooler trolley as auxiliary cooling inlet to improve the cooling performance of the sintered body during the production process. Fluent 15.0 has been used to simulate the process;the study shows that the perforated tube structure trolley has changed the temperature field within the sintering area, thereby improving the sintering area of the cooling effect and uniformity, also greatly reducing the cooling time. Compared with the traditional trolley, the best structure of the porous tube trolley has reduced 41% cooling time and increased 50% waste heat recovery.

RESEARCH ON DIFFUSION IN MICRO-CHANNEL FLOW DRIVEN BY ELECTROOSMOSIS

Numerical simulation using the finite differential method was carried out to analyze the diffusion of an impulse sample in the micro-channel driven by electroosmosis. The results show that the electrical field strength applied externally and the concentration of buffer solution play a significant role in the diffusion of sample, however, hydraulic diameter and aspect ratio of height to width of channel play a small role in it. Weakening the electrical field strength applied externally and the concentration of buffer solution properly can prevent the sample band from broadening effectively, and promote the efficiency of testing and separation as well as keep a faster speed of transport. The conclusions are helpful to the optimal design for micro-channel.

Numerical simulation and optimization design of the EGR cooler in vehicle

The EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) technique can greatly reduce the NOx emission of diesel engines, especially when an EGR cooler is employed. Numerical simulations are applied to study the flow field and temperature distributions inside the EGR cooler. Three different models of EGR cooler are investigated, among which model A is a traditional one, and models B and C are improved by adding a helical baffle in the cooling area. In models B and C the entry directions of cooling water are different, which mostly influences the flow resistance. The results show that the improved structures not only lengthen the flow path of the cooling water, but also enhance the heat exchange rate between the cool and hot media. In conclusion we suggest that the improved structures are more powerful than the traditional one.

Functional Link Neural Network for Predicting Crystallization Temperature of Ammonium Chloride in Air Cooler System

The air cooler is an important equipment in the petroleum refining industry.Ammonium chloride(NH4 Cl)deposition-induced corrosion is one of its main failure forms.In this study,the ammonium salt crystallization temperature is chosen as the key decision variable of NH4 Cl deposition-induced corrosion through in-depth mechanism research and experimental analysis.The functional link neural network(FLNN)is adopted as the basic algorithm for modeling because of its advantages in dealing with non-linear problems and its fast-computational ability.A hybrid FLNN attached to a small norm is built to improve the generalization performance of the model.Then,the trained model is used to predict the NH4 Cl salt crystallization temperature in the air cooler of a sour water stripper plant.Experimental results show the proposed improved FLNN algorithm can achieve better generalization performance than the PLS,the back propagation neural network,and the conventional FLNN models.

Performance Investigation of Capillary Tubes for Machine Tool Coolers Retrofitted with HFC-407C Refrigerant

The machine tool coolers are the best managers of coolant temperature in avoiding the deviation of spindle centerline for machine tools. However, the machine coolers are facing the compressed schedule to phase out the HCFC （hydro-chloro-floro-carbon） refrigerant and little attention has been paid to comparative study on sizing capillary tube for retrofitted HFC （hydro-floro-carbon） refrigerant. In this paper, the adiabatic flow in capillary tube is analyzed and modeled for retrofitting of HFC-407C refrigerant in a machine tool cooler system. A computer code including determining the length of sub-cooled flow region and the two phase region of capillary tube is developed. Comparative study of HCFC-22 and HFC-407C in a capillary tube is derived and conducted to simplify the traditional trial-and-error method of predicting the length of capillary tubes. Besides, experimental investigation is carried out by field tests to verify the simulation model and cooling performance of the machine tool cooler system. The results from the experiments reveal that the numerical model provides an effective approach to determine the performance data of capillary tube specific for retrofitting a HFC-407C machine tool cooler. The developed machine tool cooler system is not only directly compatible with new HFC-407C refrigerant, but can also perform a cost-effective temperature control specific for industrial machines.

Reliability Investigation of Semiconductor Coolers

The tests on the thermoelectric shock of semiconductor coolers show that the life of semiconductor coolers follows the Weibull distribution. After the early failed devices are removed, the failure rule of the devices can be described as an exponential distribution. The main failure mode is tile crack between electric couple material and welding pad. The failure mechanism is the orientated incline and easy splitting of the thermoelectric materials and the stress of substrate deformation due to the temperature difference between the two sides of the cooler. The reliability of the devices can be improved by using multi-layer metalization in electric couple welding.