Local heat transfer coefficients around a horizontal heated tube immersed in a gas fluidized bed

The heat transfer characteristics around a single horizontal heated tube immersed in air fluidized bed was investigated, to clarify the mechanism of heat transfer in a fluidized bed heat exchanger. The local heat transfer coefficient around the tube was measured at various fluidization velocities and five different solid particles. The experimental values of the local heat transfer coefficient at the minimum fluidization velocity condition were correlated with the particle size in two empirical equations. The predicted results were in good agreement with the experiment data.     

Local heat transfer coefficients on the circumference of a tube in a gas fluidized bed

A heated horizontal heat transfer tube was installed 14.8 cm above the distributor plate in a square fluid bed measuring 30.5 × 30.5 cm. Four different Geldart B sized particle beds were used (sand of two different distributions, an abrasive and glass beads) and the bed was fluidized with cold air. The tube was instrumented with surface thermocouples around half of the tube circumference and with differential pressure ports that can be used to infer bubble presence. Numerical execution of the transient conduction equation for the tube allowed the local time-varying heat transfer coefficient to be extracted. Data confirm the presence of the stagnant zone on top of the tube associated with low superficial velocities. Auto-correlation of thermocouple data revealed bubble frequencies and the cross-correlation of thermal and pressure events confirmed the relationship between the bubbles and the heat transfer events. In keeping with the notion of a “Packet renewal” heat transfer model, the average heat transfer coefficient was found to vary in sympathy with the root-mean square amplitude of the transient heat transfer coefficient.     

Free convection heat transfer around a horizontal ice cylinder formed through melting within an immiscible liquid

An experimental study has been performed to determine the melting heat transfer characteristics of a horizontal ice cylinder immersed in an immiscible liquid. Vegetable oil, which was contained within a horizontal heated copper tube, was adopted as a testing liquid. A bubble-free ice cylinder was situated at the center of the tube. The experiments were carried out for the heated tube temperatures ranging from 8.0 to 30.0 °C, while for the cooled tube temperatures from ч.0 to ⪡.0 °C. The flow pattern of the liquid and the ice-liquid interface shape of the ice cylinder being formed through melting were extensively observed and recorded photographically. The local/average heat transfer coefficient along the ice cylinder at steady state was determined as a function of the heated tube temperature as well as the cooled tube temperature. The measurements show that the ice layer profiles at steady state are quite similar irrespective of the thermal conditions. Zusammenfassung Die Experimentelle Untersuchung hatte zum Ziel, den Wärmeübergangsmechanismus beim Schmelzen eines horizontalen, in eine nichtmischbare Flüssigkeit eingetauchten Eiszylinders aufzuklären. In einem horizontalen, beheizten Kupferrohr befindliches Pflanzenöl diente als Versuchsflüssigkeit. Ein blasenfreier Eiszylinder befand sich in der Mitte des Rohres. Bei den Experimenten variierten die Temperaturen des Heizrohres zwischen 8.0 und 30.0 °C, die des gekühlten Innenrohres zwischen ч.0 und ⪡.0 °C. Das Strömungsmuster der Flüssigkeit und die sich während des Schmelzvorganges ausbildende Form der Eis-Flüssigkeitsgrenze am Eiszylinder wurden genauestens beobachtet und photographisch festgehalten. Der Lokale, den Eiszylinder entlang gemittelte Wärmeübergangskoeffizient wurde für den Stationärfall als Funktion der Heiz- und Kühlrohrtemperaturen bestimmt. Die Messungen zeigen, daß die Eisschichtprofile im Stationärfall - unabhängig von den thermischen Bedingungen - weitgehend ähnlich sind.     

Approximate statistical theory of a fluidized bed

Under the conditions of developed fluidization there are intensive fluctuations both in the fluidizing medium and in the dispersed solid phase. These motions have a decisive effect on the rheologlcal properties of the fluidized bed, and on the chemical reactions and transport processes taking place in it [1], Thus, for example, in the experiments of Wicke and Fetting [2], who investigated the heat transfer between a fluidized bed and the walls of a heated container, the effective heat transfer coefficient was found to be higher by an order of magnitude than the corresponding result for a fluidized bed held down by a wire grid so that the random motion of the solid phase was reduced. It is clear that the initial stage of any study of the structure of the fluidized bed as a whole, and of the subsequent development of any model, must involve an investigation of local structural properties, including the above fluctuations.The time variation of the individual particle velocities is due to two different causes. First, there is the interaction between the particles both through direct collisions and through the medium of the liquid phase, and, secondly, there is the interaction with the viscous fluid. These two factors are not independent, so that the set of fluidized particles has certain features characteristic for both a dense gas, with a potential intramolecular interaction, and a set of particles executing Brownian motion in a continuous medium.Any detailed statistical theory of a system of fluidized particles must be based on a representation of the random particle motions in the medium by a stochastic process with some definite properties (see, for example, [3–4]). Ideally, this theory should lead to the formulation of a transport equation which, in view of the above properties of the system, should have some of the features of both the usual Boltzman transport equation and the Fokker-Planck equation. The solution of this final equation is, of course, more difficult than the solution of the Boltzman or Fokker-Planck equations. Moreover, there is also the problem of applying this equation to different special cases. An alternative approach is to develop an approximate, but still sufficiently effective, theory of the local properties of the fluidized bed, which would combine relative simplicity in application with sufficient rigor and generality. This kind of theory is put forward in the present paper. The conclusions to which it leads are in good qualitative agreement with experiment.The author wishes to thank G. I. Barenblatt and the participants of his seminar for useful discussions.     

Heat Transfer and Pressure loss of a very shallow fluidized-bed heat exchanger Part 1. Experiment with a single row of tubes

A novel gas fluidized-bed heat exchanger with a very small static bed height has been developed for a heat-exchanging system using a low-pressure fan. This fluidized bed is composed of a multislit distributor, a single row of 8 mm diameter tubes, and glass beads 48–195 μm in diameter. The measured performance of heat transfer is excellent and that of fluidization is satisfactory, in spite of the static bed height being as small as 13 mm. In the best case, the test fluidized bed exhibited a heat transfer performance comparable to that of a conventional fluidized bed with a perforated plate distributor and a static bed height of 150 mm, and showed one-fourteenth the pressure loss.     

Heat transfer from horizontal tubes in pool boiling: influence of three-dimensional heat conduction in the wall of the evaporator tube—a finite element analysis

In pool boiling, the electrically heated tube releases the energy non-uniformly to the liquid, due to different surface roughness and flowing liquid. The heat transfer coefficient therefore varies with axial and azimuthal position on the tube. Hence a finite element analysis has been carried out on a horizontal 1in. copper tube for evaporation in pool boiling for three-dimensional conduction heat transfer. A test tube has been made with different surface structures, tested and analysed for heat conduction effects. It has been observed that significant amount of heat flows in azimuthal and axial directions in addition to the heat flow in radial direction.     

Gas–liquid mass transfer in the gas–liquid–solid mini fluidized beds

The gas–liquid–solid mini fluidized bed (GLSMFB) combines the advantages of fluidized bed and micro-reactor, and meets the requirements for safety and efficiency of green development of process industry. However, there are few studies on its flow performance and no studies on its mass and heat transfer performance. In this paper, the characteristics of gas–liquid mass transfer in a GLSMFB were studied in order to provide basic guidance for the study of GLSMFB reaction performance and application. Using CO₂ absorption by NaOH as the model process, the gas–liquid mass transfer performance of GLSMFB was investigated. The results show that the liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficient and the gas–liquid interfacial area both increase with the increase of the superficial gas velocity within the experimental parameter range under the same given superficial liquid velocity. At the same ratio of superficial gas to liquid velocity, the liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficient increases with the increase of the superficial liquid velocity. Fluidized solid particles strengthen the liquid mass transfer process, and the liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficient is about 13% higher than that of gas–liquid mini bubble column.     

Bed-to-surface heat transfer in a circulating fluidized bed

 The heat transfer characteristics between a circulating fluidized bed and a surface immersed inside it are investigated. This paper presents a statistical model describing the mechanism of heat transfer and the relationship between the heat transfer coefficient and the main parameters of the bed. The proposed model yields a satisfactory representation of heat transfer process in the circulating fluidized bed (CFB), it is consistent with experimental results and other researchers results. Received on 13 December 1999 / Published online: 29 November 2001     

Heat transfer characteristics in a horizontal swirling fluidized bed

An innovative horizontal swirling fluidized bed (HSFB) with a rectangular baffle in the center of an air distributor and three layers of horizontal secondary air nozzles located at each corner of fluidized bed was developed. Experiments on heat transfer characteristics were conducted in a cold HSFB test model. Heat transfer coefficients between immersed tubes and bed materials in the HSBF were measured with the help of a fast response heat transfer probe. The influences of fluidization velocity, particle size of bed materials, measurement height, probe orientation, and secondary air injection, etc. on heat transfer coefficients were intensively investigated. Test results indicated that heat transfer coefficients increase with fluidization velocity, and reach their maximum values at 1.5-3 times of the minimum fluidization velocity. Heat transfer coefficients are variated along the circumference of the probe, and heat transfer coefficients on the leeward side of the probe are larger than that on the windward side of the probe. Heat transfer coefficients decrease with increasing of measurement height; heat transfer coefficients of the longitudinal probe are larger than that of the transverse probe. The proper secondary air injection and particle size of bed materials can generate a preferred hydrodynamics in the dense zone and enhance heat transfer in a HSFB.     

Kinetic model of heat transfer processes in a fluidized bed

In the present paper equations are obtained for determining the temperature field in a fluidized layer. The heat and mass transfer processes in a fluidized bed depend significantly on the motion of the solid particles which form the bed. In any small volume of a fluidized bed with nonuniform thermal conditions there are particles with different average temperatures. Therefore it is natural to resort to the statistical representation of such a system, developed previously in [1, 2], for the study of the heat transfer processes. The expression obtained here for the heat conductivity coefficient of the bed is in good qualitative agreement with the experimental data.The author wishes to thank V. G. Levich for his interest and valuable discussions.     

Heat and mass transfer study in fluidized bed granulation-Prediction of entry length

Fluidized bed granulation is a process by which granules or coated particles are produced in a single piece of equipment by spraying a binder as solution, suspension, or melt on the fluidized powder bed. Heat and mass transfer correlation useful for designing a granulator has been derived based on the equivalence of evaporation rate of the liquid to the heat transferred from hot gas to particles: (m/A)Dp2λ/(Lmf(1- εmf)(Tg-Tl)Kg)=hDp/Kg . This equation is applied to data on granulation experiments by different workers to calculate Reynolds number and Nusselt number to obtain a relation between heat and mass transfer from gas to particles during granulation on a logarithmic scale from which the following empirical relation is obtained: Nu = 0.0205Re1.3876 which is comparable to Kothari's correlation Nu = 0.03Re1.3. By using the heat and mass transfer correlation obtained, the entry length, that is the length of granulator up to which effective heat transfer from gas to bed particles takes place, is estimated, which is also validated with experimental study. The correct estimation of entry length is useful in optimal design of a granulator.     

Convective heat transfer for cold tube bundles with ice formations in a stream of water at steady state

Experiments were conducted on cold-tube banks subjected to a cross-flow of water. The tubes were internally cooled below the freezing temperature and became enveloped in ice. The resulting ice shapes, which formed on the outside surfaces of the tubes, were allowed to stabilize, and their impact on the total steady-state rate of energy exchange between the tubes and the flowing water was investigated.

Both in-line and staggered tube-bank geometries were considered, with tests conducted in the low to moderate Reynolds number range (Re_d = 100−2,000) and for cooling-temperature ratio variations of 0.5 < Θ < 8. The ice formations were directly observed and photographed, and the total heat transfer rate for the tube bank was inferred from a simple energy balance on the system.

The ice shapes that formed around the tubes were described by one of three distinct categories: ice formutions with no linkage occurring between any adjacent tubes; ice formations with partial linkage of some adjacent tubes; and, for the staggered tube bank, a complete linkage of a majority of the tubes.

The experiments showed that the ice formations dramatically affected the convective heat transfer rate of the tube banks (when compared to nonicing tube banks at the same Re_d) and that the change in heat transfer rate is dependent on the tube-bank geometry. In the no-link category, the ice formations were found to either increase or decrease the tube-bank heat transfer rate depending on the amount of ice-build accumulation, the staggered configuration showing a greater overall rise with Θ than the in-line geometry. Ice linkage between adjacent tubes was found to be detrimental to the heat transfer rate of the staggered bank; however, the same phenomenon on the in-line tube bank did not seriously impede its heat transfer rate. Correlations expressing the heat transfer behavior of both in-line and staggered tube banks with ice formations at steady state have been developed.     

The influence of multiple tubes on the tube-to-bed heat transfer in a fluidised bed

There have been few studies modelling both flow and heat transfer in fluidised beds. The kinetic theory of granular flow (KTGF) has been used for flow prediction in the past without heat transfer modelling. In the present study, a two-fluid Eulerian–Eulerian formulation incorporating the KTGF was applied first to a tube-to-bed reactor with one immersed tube and compared with the results in the literature. The bed was then modified to introduce two and three heated tubes. The effects on the flow and temperature distribution, local heat transfer coefficients and averaged heat transfer coefficients over a 3.0 s time period were carried out. Results showed that increasing the number of tubes promotes heat transfer from tubes to the particles and flow. The heat transfer coefficients extracted from the single-tube to three-tube cases were analysed in detail, confirming the importance of linking flow/particle and heat transfer calculations.     

Mass transfer between bubbles and the continuous phase in a fluidized bed of variable cross section

A study is made of mass transfer in an inhomogeneous fluidized bed whose cross section varies over the height. The field of the liquid phase around a bubble is constructed, conditions are obtained for the existence of a region of closed circulation of the liquid phase, and the boundaries of this region are determined. A solution is given to the problem of convective diffusion of the substance to the region of closed circulation, and the mass-transfer coefficient between a bubble and the continuous phase is determined as a function of the flow parameters. By the same token, the results of [1] are generalized to a fluidized bed of variable cross section. It is shown that in this case the mass transfer is improved.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 20–29, November–December, 1974.     

Effect of acoustic field on heat transfer in a sound assisted fluidized bed of fine powders

The fluidized beds are widely used in a variety of industries where heat transfer properties of the fluidized system become important for successful operation. Fluidized are preferred in heat recovery processes because of their unique ability of rapid heat transfer and uniform temperature. Fine powders handling and processing technologies have received widespread attention due to increased use of fine powders in the manufacture of drugs, cosmetics, plastics, catalysts, energetics and other advanced materials. A better understanding of fluidization behavior of fine powders is of great importance in applications involving heat transfer, mass transfer, mixing, transporting and modifying surface properties etc. The difficulty in putting the fine powders in suspension with the fluidizing gas is related to the cohesive structure and to the physical forces between the primary particles. The sound waves agitate bubbling and this results in improving solids mixing in the fluidized bed. The improved solids mixing results in uniform and smooth fluidization, which leads to better heat transfer rates in the fluidized bed.     

Boiling characteristics in small vertical tubes with closed bottom for nanofluids and nanoparticle-suspensions

An experimental study was carried out to understand the nucleate boiling characteristics and the critical heat flux (CHF) of water, the water based nanofluids and the water based nanoparticle-suspensions in vertical small heated tubes with a closed bottom. Here, the nanofluids consisted of the base liquid, the CuO nanoparticles and the surfactant. The nanoparticle-suspensions consisted of the base liquid and CuO nanoparticles. The surfactant was sodium dodecyl benzene sulfate. The study focused on the influence of the nanoparticles and surfactant on the nucleate boiling characteristics and the CHF. The experimental results indicated that the nanoparticle concentrations of the nanofluids and nanoparticle-suspensions in the tubes do not change during the boiling processes; the nanoparticles in the evaporated liquid are totally carried away by the steam. The boiling heat transfer rates of nanofluids are poorer than that of the base liquid. However, the boiling heat transfer rates of nanoparticle-suspensions are better than that of the base liquid. Comparing with the base liquid, the CHF of the nanofluids and the nanoparticle-suspensions is higher. The CHF is only related to nanoparticle mass concentration when the tube length and the tube diameter are fixed. The experiment confirm that there is a thin nanoparticle coating layer on the heated surface after the nanofluids boiling test but there is no coating layer on the heated surface after the nanoparticle-suspensions boiling test. This coating layer is the main reason that deteriorates the boiling heat transfer rates of nanofluids. An empirical correlation was proposed for predicting the CHF of nanofluids boiling in the vertical tubes with closed bottom.     

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 liquid–solid mixing was not homogeneous during the limited liquid injection time.     

Solidification and melting heat transfer to an unfixed phase change material (PCM) encapsulated in a horizontal concentric annulus

The solidification and melting process of an unfixed PCM between two isothermal concentric horizontal cylinders was investigated by experimental techniques and by a combined analytical and numerical method. During the solidification process concentric solid PCM layers form at both tube walls, growing slowly into the annulus. Assuming quasi-steady heat conduction, this process is described by a simple analysis. The melting PCM reveals a different behaviour. Due to gravitational forces the solid phase moves downwards. Experiments prove that the solid retains contact with the lower part of the outer tube as well as with the upper part of the inner tube. In this process thin liquid films form between the solid body and the heated walls and heat transfer by conduction is the dominating mechanism during melting. Heat transfer by natural convection causes the melting at the upper interface. There, the melting rates, however, are comparatively small. The theoretical approach and the numerical analysis are based on a balance of the pressure forces in the thin liquid films and of the gravitational force acting on the solid material. As a result melting rates and heat fluxes may be predicted. For practical application a Nusselt correlation is derived.     

Evaporation of single component viscous liquids in a metal falling film evaporator

Heat transfer for single component falling film evaporation has been investigated in a stainless steel single tube falling film evaporator. The tube had a heated length of 2,500 mm. Propylene glycol and cyclohexanol have been used as evaporating media. Liquid film running down the tube, is formed on the inner side of the tube. For the distribution of liquid two different devices were examined. Process equipment was operated in pump-around mode with the distillate being condensed and recycled. Results show that none of the available correlations for heat transfer in falling film evaporation is able to describe the results qualitatively as well as quantitatively. Using different film distribution devices, a significant influence of the Reynolds number for the transition from laminar to turbulent flow is seen. However, differences between experimental results and correlations in literature cannot be explained only by usage of different film distributions, in particular when the correlation is based on measurements with a different tube length. A model approach is presented for cyclohexanol as evaporating medium with a flat weir as film distributor.     

Forced convection performance of a MEPCM suspension through an iso-flux heated circular tube: an experimental study

The paper examines experimentally forced convection performance of a microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) suspension through an iso-flux heated circular tube. Forced convection experiments have been undertaken using the pure water or MEPCM suspensions as the working fluid. The heat transfer performance of the MEPCM suspension was gauged in terms of local/average heat transfer coefficients and temperature control effectiveness along the tube wall compared with that obtained for the pure water.