Influence of cycle time distribution on coating uniformity of particles in a spray fluidized bed by using CFD-DEM simulations

Cycle Time Distribution (CTD) plays a critical role for determining uniformity of particle coating in spray fluidized beds. However, the CTD is influenced by both geometrical structure and operating conditions of fluidized bed. In this study, a spray fluidized bed of coating process is simulated by a comprehensive Computational Fluid Dynamics-Discrete Element Model (CFD-DEM). To achieve different behaviors of CTD, some modifications are designed on a pseudo-2D internally circulating fluidized bed, which traditionally composes of a high-velocity upward bed and low-velocity downward bed. These modifications include making the air distributor slope and/or laying a baffle in the downward bed. First, the CTD and evolution of particle size distribution under different bed structures are compared. The CTD directly influences the coating uniformity. By making the particles flowing along a parallel direction in the downward bed through the geometrical modifications, the CTD becomes narrower and the coating uniformity is significantly improved. Second, under the optimized bed structure, the influence of operating conditions on the coating uniformity is studied. Properly increasing the fluidization gas velocity and the fluidization gas temperature and reducing the liquid spray rate can improve the coating uniformity.     

Coupled model of coating formation on a cylindrical substrate

A coupled model of coating formation on the surface of a part of a cylindrical shape during deposition from the plasma is proposed. This model takes into account the phenomena of thermal diffusion, diffusive thermal conductivity, and mass transfer under the action of the stress gradient, and the formation of chemical compounds. The coating growth rate is considered to be a given function of the particle velocity and particle concentration near the surface of the growing coating. The problem is solved numerically. It is shown that diffusion cross-fluxes, diffusive thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusion during the growth process reduce the width of the transition zone between the substrate and the coating. This effect becomes most essential if the substrate has a low thermal conductivity. Accounting for stresses arising in the coating-substrate system during the deposition process changes the effective transfer coefficients and significantly affects the result of modeling the distribution of chemical elements and their compounds in the coating.     

Modelling the bed characteristics in fluidised-beds for top-spray coating processes

A particle sub-model describing the bed characteristics of a bubbling fluidised bed is presented. Atomisation air, applied at high pressures via a nozzle positioned above the bed for spray formation, is incorporated in the model since its presence has a profound influence on the bed characteristics, though the spray itself is not yet considered. A particle sub-model is developed using well-known empirical relations for particle drag force, bubble growth and velocity and particle distribution above the fluidised-bed surface. Simple but effective assumptions and abstractions were made concerning bubble distribution, particle ejection at the bed surface and the behaviour of atomisation air flow upon impacting the surface of a bubbling fluidised bed. The model was shown to be capable of predicting the fluidised bed characteristics in terms of bed heights, voidage distributions and solids volume fractions with good accuracy in less than 5 min of calculation time on a regular desktop PC. It is therefore suitable for incorporation into general process control models aimed at dynamic control for process efficiency and product quality in top-spray fluidised bed coating processes.     

Coating of finely dispersed particles by two-fluid nozzle

Particle coatings are used extensively to generate dispersed solids with well-defined properties, e.g., to protect active ingredients, with most coating processes using core particles of a diameter larger than 200 μm. This work contributes to the development of a coating process for fine dispersed particles (diameter less than 50 μm) by combining two particle-formulation processes, namely, coating and spray drying. The feasibility of the operation is based on and demonstrated by the innovative application of a two-fluid nozzle. Experiments were conducted by using glass particles as core particles and sodium benzoate as the coating agent. The coating of finely dispersed particles is achieved by the spraying of particles and coating solution as a homogeneous suspension. The aim is to create droplets with only one contained particle at the nozzle outlet. After evaporation of the water in the droplet, a thin solid film is built on the particle surface. The suspension viscosity was measured and compared with empirical equations from the literature. The liquid-film thickness on the particle surface was calculated to predict the building of a uniform coating layer or agglomerates. In this study, the feasibility of pneumatic transport through the nozzle and an investigation of the process were illustrated. The agglomeration fraction and degree of coating of the particle surface were analyzed optically by scanning electron microscopy. In this way, the influence of different processes and suspension parameters on the product quality were determined.     

爆炸压涂制备铜涂层的性能

利用爆炸压涂技术在铜基板上制备了较大面积的铜涂层,详细阐述了爆炸压涂技术的工艺。利用光学显微镜、扫描电镜观察了铜涂层的微观组织结构,涂层的厚度为280μm,用截线法在涂层的显微结构图上测得其孔隙率为约2%,利用显微硬度计测量了涂层的显微硬度h_V0.05=114,还利用能谱分析测量了粉末和涂层中各元素的质量分数,实验前后元素的组成成分基本没有发生变化。爆炸压涂制备的铜涂层具有较好的均匀性和致密性,铜粉末在形成涂层的过程中不会发生氧化现象。     

A minimal model for flow control on an aerofoil using a poro-elastic coating

A minimal model is obtained for vortex-shedding from an aerofoil with a porous coating of flow-compliant feather-like actuators, in order to better understand this passive way to achieve flow control. This model is realized by linearly coupling a minimal-order model for vortex-shedding from the same aerofoil without any such coating with an equation for the poro-elastic coating, here modelled as a linear damped oscillator. The various coefficients in this model, derived using perturbation techniques, aid in our understanding of the physics of this fluid–structure interaction problem. The minimal model for a coated aerofoil indicates the presence of distinct regimes that are dependent on the flow and coating characteristics. The models and the parametric studies performed provide insight into the selection of optimal coating parameters, to enable flow control at low Reynolds numbers.     

Validation of a numerical model for the simulation of an electrostatic powder coating process

Numerical modeling of a complete powder coating process is carried out to understand the gas-particle two-phase flow field inside a powder coating booth and results of the numerical simulations are compared with experimental data to validate the numerical results. The flow inside the coating booth is modeled as a three-dimensional turbulent continuous gas flow with solid powder particles as a discrete phase. The continuous gas flow is predicted by solving Navier–Stokes equations using a standard k–ε turbulence model with non-equilibrium wall functions. The discrete phase is modeled based on a Lagrangian approach. In the calculation of particle propagation, a particle size distribution obtained through experiments is applied. The electrostatic field, including the effect of space charge due to free ions, is calculated with the use of the user defined scalar transport equations and user defined scalar functions in the software package, FLUENT, for the electrostatic potential and charge density.     

Finite element simulation of dip coating,I: Newtonian fluids

A finite element simulation of the dip coating process based on a discretization of the continuum with discontinuous pressure elements is presented. The algorithm computes the flow field from natural boundary conditions while an extra condition provided by the existence of free surface is employed to displace the meniscus location towards the actual position. The process is iterative and uses a pseudo-time stepping technique coupled to a cubic spline fitting of the free surface. Numerical predictions exhibit good agreement with experimental data for Newtonian fluids in the case of flat plate dip coating as well as in the case of wire dip coating.     

HVAS涂层力学性能的T-S模糊辨识

将基于模糊C均值聚类算法的T-S模糊模型用于辨识大型轴类零件的高速电弧喷涂(HVAS)涂层的力学性能。该方法结合递推最小二乘法辨识后件参数,可以提高收敛速度和增强模型的泛化性能;以3Cr13丝材的喷涂涂层为例,建立了喷涂电压、喷涂电流、喷涂距离和气源压力四个影响因子到涂层强度的非线性映射。仿真结果表明,所建T-S模糊模型具有较好的学习和泛化能力,在辨识力学性能中效果较好。最后利用该模型优化高速电弧喷涂的工艺参数,找出了最佳工艺参数的范围。     

Optical fiber instability during coating process

In the present work, we study the stability of a system designed for the coating of optical fiber. This is achieved by studying the stability of the flowing resin in the die while coupled with a viscoelastic optical fiber. We develop a numerical code based on a sixth-order compact finite-difference method in order to solve the two-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations. We show that there is a bifurcation flow for a given value of the Reynolds number, wherever the vibration of the optical fiber has been experimentally observed. The stability of the resulting flow, coupled with a nonrigid optical fiber, is considered. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional stability analyses were made. The system was found to be subjected to two kinds of instability induced by two distinguishable groups of modes. For an optical fiber with a small radius, we assume that the preceding vibration may not be the only cause of the irregularity in the coating thickness. Therefore, a model taking into account the deformation of the liquid resin surface, under the action of the surface-tension forces, before resin solidification, and after leaving the die, is proposed. This model assumes that the liquid layer is subjected to surface-tension and gravity forces. It was found that the dynamic equation depends on two dimensionless parameters. It is found that the surface of the fiber has a wavy form. The length of the wave depends on the two dimensionless parameters. Our work shows qualitative agreement with the experimental results without adjusting arbitrary constants.     

Prediction of coating uniformity in batch fluidized-bed coating process

Coating of particulate materials in fluidized beds is a widely used technique to eliminate particle agglom-eration,provide slow release of an active substance,o...     

A model for prediction of minimum coating thickness in high speed slot coating

A slot coating process has been recently applied to the production of electric circuits due to its fast production rate and low cost. The prediction of minimum coating thickness or coating stability has been performed by using a viscocapillary model. However, the results are inaccurate for a high speed coating because it neglects inertia effects arising in the high speed coating condition. Thus, we modified the viscocapillary model to propose an inertia-capillary model that includes the inertial effects. As a result, this new model can be applicable to a Reynolds number of an order higher than the viscocapillary model.     

Parametric investigation of particle acceleration in high enthalpy conical nozzle flows for coating applications

A modified cold gas-dynamic spray technique is under development by using shock tunnel technology, which can enhance the coating quality by increasing the solid particle velocity up to 1,500 m/s. The particle diameter typically amounts to 10 μm. A theoretical model based on gas-particle flows is employed to describe the behaviour of the flow and the solid particles. This quasi-1D model is capable to consider non-equilibrium effects of the gas phase due to high reservoir temperatures, and the influence of wall friction and heat transfer averaged over the nozzle cross section. This model is used for the design and optimization of the nozzle geometry by a parametric study, which results in a conical nozzle with a half opening angle of 2.8° and a length of 325 mm. Particles for coating are injected at about 55 mm downstream of the throat. A shock tunnel facility has been set up at the Shock Wave Laboratory for performing an experimental study of this new technique. The theoretical performance of this setup is evaluated by the KASIMIR simulation software and the quasi-1D method described in this paper. The high reservoir conditions required to achieve particle velocities of 1,500 m/s can be realized by using either a very high driver pressure of about 600 bar for air as driver gas or a relatively low driver pressure of about 200 bar for helium as driver gas.      

Foil bearing method of hydrodynamic coating

The process of hydrodynamic coating based on the foil bearing method in which the liquid coated on the foil is located in a narrow gap between a fixed surface and the traveling foil is considered. The variability of the foil (substrate) leaving angle and other factors initiate perturbations of the output fluid flow rate and the coating thickness inhomogeneity. A closed system of equations is obtained and steady-state and time-dependent flows are calculated numerically. The perturbation suppression by means of an additional device, namely, a freely rotating plate on the rear edge of the fixed surface, is qualitatively analyzed.     

A novel coated-particle design and fluidized-bed chemical vapor deposition preparation method for fuel-element identification in a nuclear reactor

Particle coating is an important method that can be used to expand particle-technology applications. Coated-particle design and preparation for nuclear fuel-element trajectory tracing were focused on in this paper. Particles that contain elemental cobalt were selected because of the characteristic gamma ray spectra of ⁶⁰Co. A novel particle-structure design was proposed by coating particles that contain elemental cobalt with a high-density silicon-carbide (SiC) layer. During the coating process with the high-density SiC layer, cobalt metal was formed and diffused towards the coating, so an inner SiC–Co_xSi layer was designed and obtained by fluidized-bed chemical vapor deposition coupled with in-situ chemical reaction. The coating layers were studied by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques. The chemical composition was also determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The novel particle design can reduce the formation of metallic cobalt and prevent cobalt diffusion in the coating process, which can maintain safety in a nuclear reactor for an extended period. The experimental results also validated that coated particles maintain their structural integrity at extremely high temperatures (∼1950 °C), which meets the requirements of next-generation nuclear reactors.     

Analysis of minimum specific energy consumption and optimal transport concentration of slurry pipeline transport systems

Slurry pipeline transport is widely used in several industrial processes. Calculating the specific power consumption (SPC) and determining the best working conditions are important for the design and operation of transportation systems. Based on the Shanghai Jiao Tong University high-concentration multi-sized slurry pressure drop (SJTU-HMSPD) pipeline-resistance-calculation model, the SJTU-SPC model for calculating the power required to transport a unit volume of solid materials over a unit pipeline length is established for a slurry transport system. The said system demonstrates a uniformity coefficient in the 1.26–7.98 range, median particle size of 0.075–4 mm, particle volume concentration of 10–60%, and pipeline diameter of 0.203–0.8 m. The results obtained were successfully verified against existing experimental data. The influence of parameters, such as particle-gradation uniformity coefficient, median particle size, pipe diameter, and particle volume concentration, on the SPC were analysed. The results revealed that the greater is the uniformity coefficient, the smaller is the minimum specific energy consumption and the larger the optimal transport concentration for a constant, median particle size slurry. As observed, the optimal transport concentration for broad-graded sand equalled approximately 48%. These results supplement the conclusions of existing research, indicating that the optimal transport concentration is approximately 30% and provides theoretical support for high concentration transportation of broad graded slurry.     

On the spin coating of viscoplastic fluids

The spin coating of a viscoplastic material is studied using a continuous viscosity function. Thus, the transient model requires the calculation of only velocity, pressure and the moving-free surface of the liquid film, but not the calculation of the yield surface within the liquid. A Finite Element/Newton-Raphson method is presented for solving this moving boundary problem after mapping the deforming domain onto a fixed one. Assuming axial symmetry, the effect of the Bingham, Reynolds, Capillary and gravitational Bond numbers is examined. The magnitude of the first two parameters affects significantly the flow field and the shape of the film as well as the required spinning time in order to produce a film of uniform thickness. Depending on their values, large departures from the corresponding Newtonian solution may be obtained. In these cases the film does not thin out uniformly, but a maximum in its profile is created at the center of the disk. Then, the magnitude of the Capillary number also affects the size of this maximum. The gravitational Bond number affects the film thickness and its profile to a lesser extent.Dedicated to the memory of Professor Tasos C. Papanastasiou     

Experimental study of the effect of a passive porous coating on disturbances in a hypersonic boundary layer. 1. Effect of the porous coating length

The effect of passive porous coatings of different lengths on the second mode of disturbances in a hypersonic boundary layer is considered. The experiments are performed in a flow with a free-stream Mach number M_∞ = 5.8 and five values of the unit Reynolds number around a sharp cone with an apex half-angle equal to 7°, which is aligned at a zero angle of attack. One half of the model surface along its generatrix is covered by a porous material, and the other part is a solid surface. Pressure fluctuations on the model surface are measured. It is found that application of a passive porous coating can either decrease or increase the amplitude of the second mode. The length of the passive porous coating corresponding to the maximum efficiency of its action on flow disturbances and the coating length that increases the amplitude of the second mode are found.     

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE GROWTH OF NANOPARTICLES IN A FLAME CVD PROCESS

The growth of titania nanoparticles in a flame CVD process has been simulated by computational fluid dynamics, based on the change rate of particle number density due to their collisions calculated from an integral collision kernel. The assumptions made on constant particle volume density nv (nd^3), constant density of particle surface area ns (nd^2), and constant entity nd^2.5 in coagulation process have been examined. Comparisons have been made on particle size distribution between measurement results and predictions from present model of particle growth and Kruis model of particle dynamics for titania nanoparticles synthesized by the flame CVD process. Effects of operational parameters such as O2 mole fraction and particle number density on mean particle size and size distribution have been discussed.     

Rheological properties of oil paints and their flow instabilities in blade coating

Painters express their ideas and emotions by making use of oil paints, tools, and painting techniques. Their artworks appear on the surface, which depend on colors, tools, and the sensuous touch of the painters. From the scientific viewpoint, it is determined by the rheological properties of oil paints and their flow behavior while the external force is applied to oil paints. It means that the artists know through learning or by instinct that the oil paints have different rheological properties according to the color, and that various surfaces can be generated by changing the operating conditions. In this study, we measured the rheological properties of oil paints and investigated their flow behavior when the flow was applied. Flow instability was visualized, and the coating window was analyzed, which was supposed to mimic the painting process of the artists. We could understand that oil paints are similar in ingredients, rheological properties, and flow characteristics to industrial coating process. One important thing to note is that the painting is a process to pursue heterogeneity that is generated by the touches of the artists, while the coating process in industry is a process to pursue homogeneity so as to get defect-free surface with high productivity.