Experimental investigation of cluster properties in dense gas-solid fluidized beds of different diameters

The local solid flow structure of a bubbling fluidized bed of sand particles was investigated m three different columns to characterize the properties of clusters. The experiments were performed using a reflective optical fiber probe. The variations in size, velocity, and void fraction of the clusters due to changes in the superficial gas velocity, particle size, and radial positions were studied. The results indicate that the velocity of the clusters remained unchanged while their size increased as the column diameter increased. In addition, the radial profile of the clusters＇ velocity did not depend on the radial position. The results indicate that larger particles form larger clusters, which move slower.     

DISCRETE PARTICLE SIMULATION OF SIZE SEGREGATION OF PARTICLE MIXTURES IN A GAS FLUIDIZED BED

This paper presents a study of the mixing/segregation behaviour of particle mixtures in a gas fluidized bed by use of the discrete particle simulation. Spherical particles with diameters 2 mm （jetsam） and 1 mm （flotsam） and density 2 500 kg.m^-3 are used as solid mixtures with different volume fractions. The particles are initially packed uniformly in a rectangular bed and then fluidized by gas uniformly injected at the bottom of the bed. The gas injection velocities vary to cover fixed, partially and fully fluidized bed conditions. Segregation/mixing behaviour is discussed in terms of flow patterns, solid concentration profile and mixing kinetics. The results show that segregation, as a transient fluidization process, is strongly affected by gas injection velocities for a given particle mixture. With the increase of the volume fraction of flotsam, size segregation appears at lower velocities.     

Two and three dimensional modeling of fluidized bed with multiple jets in a DEM-CFD framework

Fluidized beds with multiple jets have widespread industrial applications. The objective of this paper is to investigate the jet interactions and hydrodynamics of a fluidized bed with multiple jets. Discrete element modeling coupled with in-house CFD code GenlDLEST has been used to simulate a bed with nine jets. The results are compared with published experiments. Mono dispersed particles of size 550 ~m are used with 1.4 times the minimum fluidization velocity of the particles. Both two and three dimensional computations have been performed. To the best of our knowledge, the results presented in this paper are the first full 3D simulations of a fluidized bed performed with multiple jets. Discrepancies between the experiment and simulations are discussed in the context of the dimensionality of the simulations. The 2D solid fraction profile compares well with the experiment close to the distributor plate. At higher heights, the 2D simulation over-predicts the solid fraction profiles near the walls. The 3D simulation on the other hand is better able to capture the solid fraction profile higher up in the bed compared to that near the distributor plate. Similarly, the normalized particle velocities and the particle fluxes compare well with the experiment closer to the distributor plate for the 2D simulation and the freeboard for the 3D simulation, respectively. A lower expanded bed height is predicted in the 2D simulation compared to the 3D simulation and the experiment. The results obtained from DEM computations show that a 2D simulation can be used to capture essential jetting trends near the distributor plate regions, whereas a full scale 3D simulation is needed to capture the bubbles near the freeboard regions. These serve as validations for the experiment and help us understand the complex jet interaction and solid circulation patterns in a multiple jet fluidized bed system.     

Virtual experimentation through 3D full-loop simulation of a circulating fluidized bed

Eulerian granular multiphase model with a drag coefficient correction based on the energy-minimization multi-scale （EMMS） model was used to simulate a semi-industry scale circulating fluidized bed （CFB）. Three-dimensional （3D）, time-dependent simulation of a full-loop CFB revealed that the axial profiles of cross-sectionally averaged solid volume fraction, and the radial profiles of solid axial velocity and solid volume fraction were in reasonable agreement with experimental data. Based on this agreement, database derived from experiments not yet accomplished was replenished with such simulations, and fluid regime diagrams and pressure balance around the CFB loop were derived accordingly. This work presents an integrated viewpoint on CFB and unfolds a fresh paradigm for CFB modeling, which can be expected to help resolve certain issues long in dispute but bard for experiments.     

Flow structures inside a large-scale turbulent fluidized bed of FCC particles： Eulerian simulation with an EMMS-based sub-grid scale model

Turbulent fluidized bed reactors are widely used in industry. However, CFD simulations of the hydrody- namic characteristics of these reactors are relatively sparse, despite the urgent demand from industry. To address this problem, Eulerian simulations with an EMMS-based sub-grid scale model, accounting for the effect of sub-grid scale structures on the inter-phase friction, are performed to study the hydrodynamics inside a large-scale turbulent fluidized bed of FCC particles. It is shown that the simulated axial and radial solid concentration profiles, entrained solid fluxes and standard deviation of the solid concentration fluc- tuation agreed well with experimental data available in the literature. In-depth analysis of time-averaged particle velocity and solid concentration shows that a dense-suspension upflow regime coexists with fast fluidization regime in this bed, which is reminiscent of the hydrodynamic characteristics in high-density circulating fluidized bed （CFB） risers, even though they are operated in different fluidization regimes. The Reynolds stresses in turbulent fluidized beds are anisotropic, but the degree of anisotropy is far less pro- nounced than the reported values in CFB risers. It was also found that the solid concentration fluctuation and axial particle velocity fluctuation are strongly correlated. 2009 Chinese Society of Particuology and Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.     

Experimental investigation on flow asymmetry in solid entrance region of a square circulating fluidized bed

To study the influence of back feeding particles on gas-solid flow in the riser, this paper investigated the flow asymmetry in the solid entrance region of a fluidized bed by particle concentration/velocity measurements in a cold square circulating fluidized beds （CFB）. The pressure drop distribution along the riser and the saturation carrying capacity of gas for Geldart-B type particles were first analyzed. Under the condition of u0 = 4 m/s and Gs = 21 kg/（m^2 s）, the back feeding particles were found to penetrate the lean gas-solid flow near the entrance （rear） wall before reaching the opposite （front） wall, thus leading to a relatively denser region near the front wall in the bottom bed. Higher solid circulation rate （u0 =4 m/s, Gs = 33 kg/（m^2 s）） resulted in a higher particle concentration in the riser. However the back feeding particles with higher momentum increased the asymmetry of the particle concentration/velocity profile in the solid entrance region. Lower air velocity （u0 =3.2 m/s） and Gs =21 kg/（m2 s）, beyond the saturation carrying capacity of gas, induced an S-shaped axial solid distribution with a denser bottom zone. This limited the penetration of the back feeding particles and forced the flnidizing air to flow in the central region, thus leading to a higher solid holdup near the rear wall. Under the conditions of uo = 4 m/s and Gs = 21 kg/（m^2 s）, addition of coarse particles （dp= 1145 μm） into the bed made the radial distribution of solids more symmetrical.     

MODELING NONLINEAR DYNAMICS OF CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BEDS USING NEURAL NETWORKS

In the present work, artificial neural networks (ANNs) were proposed to model nonlinear dynamic behaviors of local voidage fluctuations induced by highly turbulent interactions between the gas and solid phases in circulating fluidized beds. The fluctuations of local voidage were measured by using an optical transmittance probe at various axial and radial positions in a circulating fluidized bed with a riser of 0.10 m in inner diameter and 10 m in height. The ANNs trained with experimental time series were applied to make short-term and long-term predictions of dynamic characteristics in the circulating fluidized bed. An early stop approach was adopted to enhance the long-term prediction capability of ANNs. The performance of the trained ANN was evaluated in terms of time-averaged characteristics, power spectra, cycle number and short-term predictability analysis of time series measured and predicted by the model.     

Comparative study of two fluid model and dense discrete phase model for simulations of gas-solid hydrodynamics in circulating fluidized beds

Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)has become a valuable tool to study the complex gas-solid hydrodynamics in the circulating fluidized bed(CFB).Based on the two fluid model(TFM)under the Eulerian-Eulerian framework and the dense discrete phase model(DDPM)under the Eulerian-Lagrangian framework,this work conducts the comparative study of the gas-solid hydrodynamics in a CFB riser by these two different models.Results show that DDPM could be used to predict gas-solid hydrodynamics in the circulating fluidized bed,and there are differences between TFM and DDPM,especially in the radial distribution profiles of solid phase.Sensitivity analysis results show that the gas-solid drag model exhibits significant effects on the results for both the two models.The specularity coefficient and the restitution coefficient in the TFM,as well as the reflection coefficient and the parcel number in the DDPM,exhibit less impact on the simulated results.     

An analysis of the chaotic motion of particles of different sizes in a gas fluidized bed

The dynamic behavior of individual particles during the mixing/segregation process of particle mixtures in a gas fluidized bed is analyzed. The analysis is based on the results generated from discrete particle simulation, with the focus on the trajectory of and forces acting on individual particles. Typical particles are selected representing three kinds of particle motion： a flotsam particle which is initially at the bottom part of the bed and finally fluidized at the top part of the bed; a jetsam particle which is initially at the top part of the bed and finally stays in the bottom de-fluidized layer of the bed; and a jetsam particle which is intermittently joining the top fluidized and bottom de-fluidized layers. The results show that the motion of a particle is chaotic at macroscopic or global scale, but can be well explained at a microscopic scale in terms of its interaction forces and contact conditions with other particles, particle-fluid interaction force, and local flow structure. They also highlight the need for establishing a suitable method to link the information generated and modeled at different time and length scales.     

Experimental and computational studies on flow behavior of gas–solid fluidized bed with disparately sized binary particles

This paper presents experimental and computational studies on the flow behavior of a gas-solid fluidized bed with disparately sized binary particle mixtures. The mixing/segregation behavior and segregation efficiency of the small and large particles are investigated experimentally. Particle composition and operating conditions that influence the fluidization behavior of mixing/segregation are examined. Based on the granular kinetics theory, a multi-fluid CFD model has been developed and verified against the experimental results. The simulation results are in reasonable agreement with experimental data. The results showed that the smaller particles are found near the bed surface while the larger particles tend to settle down to the bed bottom in turbulent fluidized bed. However, complete segregation of the binary particles does not occur in the gas velocity range of 0.695-0.904 m/s. Segregation efficiency increases with increasing gas velocity and mean residence time of the binary particles, but decreases with increasing the small particle concentration. The calculated results also show that the small particles move downward in the wall region and upward in the core. Due to the effect of large particles on the movement of small particles, the small particles present a more turbulent velocity profile in the dense phase than that in the dilute phase.     

PREPARATION OF BaSO4 NANOCRYSTALS BY CONTROLLED PRECIPITATION

Duetotheirsize-dependentpropertiesandflexibleprocessingchemistry(Alivisatos,1996),monodispersednanocrystalshaveattractedconsiderableattentionfortheirdistinguishedroleinfundamentalstudiesandtechnicalapplications.AlthoughmuchhasbeenreportedonfabricationofmonodispersedinorganicnanocrystalssuchasFe2O3,CdSe,PbSeandZrO2(Peng&Peng,2002;Zhuetal.,2002;Niederbergeretal.,2002;Pangetal.,2001),littlepublishedonthepreparationofBaSO4nanocrystalsandtheircrystalsizeandmorphologywhichaffecttheirperformanc…     

Turbulent mass transfer model for simulating protein desorption in liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed risers

An integrated model,namely the two-equation turbulent model,is introduced to simulate mass transfer in a liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed(LSCFB)riser.Prot...     

Impact non-pénétrant sur le thorax : influence de la courbure sur la propagation des ondesNonpenetrating impact on the thorax: influence of curvature on wave propagation

Theoretical studies of the propagation of impact waves through the thorax are needed to improve the design of bulletproof jackets and blast protections (Fung in ‘Biomechanics Motions, Flow, Stress, and Growth’, Springer-Verlag, 1990; Cooper et al., J. Trauma 40 (1996) S38–S41). The influence of the weak acoustic coupling at the interface between the thoracic wall and the lung were described in (Grimal et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. IIB 329 (2001) 655–662); in this work, we study, within the frame of elastodynamics and with an approximate analytical method, the effects of the curvature of this interface. Results are given in terms of strain energy for the pressure wave, transmitted or converted. Focalisation of energy in the medium representing the lung is important for curvatures measured in humans. To cite this article: Q. Grimal et al., C. R. Mecanique 330 (2002) 569–574.     

SYNTHESIS OF NICKEL NANOPOWDERS IN MICROEMULSION

IntroductionNanometer-scalecrystallitesofvariousmetalsandnonmetalshaveattractedagreatdealofattentionoverthepastdecade.Forsuchcrystallites,thephysicalandchemicalpropertiesareheavilydependentonparticlesizeandshape,and,asaresult,thesematerialshaveawiderangeofapplications(Ai&Kang,2003).Monodispersefinenickelparticlesarerequiredforhightechnologyapplicationsinalkalinerechargeablebatteries,magneticrecordingmediaandchemicalcatalysts,etc.,suchasconductingandmagneticinks,andferrofluids(Glicksman,1984).…     

Rotational asymmetry of reactant concentration and its evolution in a circulating fluidized bed riser

Rotational asymmetric distribution of reactant (ozone) concentration and its evolution along with the gas-solid reactive flow were studied in a 76 mm i.d., 10.2 m high circulating fluidized bed (CFB) riser reactor. The superficial gas velocity ranged from 3 to 5 m/s and the solids circulation rates were 50 and 100 kg/(m² s). Experimental results show that the asymmetry of reactant distribution can extend to a height close to the length of flow developing zone of the CFB riser reactor and then disappears. Based on the hydrodynamics of the gas and solid phases in the solids entrance region, this asymmetry can be attributed to the effect of the solids entrance structure.     

Effect of elastic modulus variation during plastic deformation on uniaxial and multiaxial ratchetting simulations

In order to identify different variables that affect ratchetting simulations, variation of elastic modulus during loading and unloading is considered and discussed based on the experimental observations which pointed out by Morestin and Boivin, 1996, Ishikawa, 1997, Cleveland and Ghosh, 2002, Zhou et al. (2005) and recently by Khan et al., 2009a, Khan et al., 2009b, Khan et al., 2009c. Then the effect of such variation on simulations is scrutinized from the theoretical point of view by considering simulations of ratchetting experiments conducted on stainless steel 304L by Hassan et al. (2008) using the well-known Armstrong–Frederick model. It is shown that, using two different values for the elastic modulus during loading and unloading could have a significant effect on simulations of uniaxial ratchetting. On the other hand, such significant effect hardly occurs in the case of simulations of biaxial ratchetting experiments under consideration. The importance of such findings is that the excessive ratchetting over-prediction resulting from any specific kinematic hardening rule is expected to decrease significantly by taking into consideration this effect. In this case, modeling of kinematic hardening rules could necessitate more attention and reconsideration.     

A micromechanical model of toughening behavior in the dual-phase composite

The fabrication of a special kind of dual-phase composite consisting of a hard matrix and ductile phase, such as metals with bimodal grain size distribution, is a promising strategy for improving the tensile ductility of nanocrystalline (nc)/ultrafine-grained (ufg) materials (Wang et al., 2002). This strategy is, however, challenged by the low reproducibility from low controllability of microstructural parameters and the existence of counterexamples (Prasad et al., 2009). The key to meet these challenges is to control the bimodal microstructural parameters to enable quantificational investigation of the relation between mechanical properties and microstructural parameters, and then set up a correlative quantitative model. In this paper, a new micromechanical model based on the propagation and multiplication of localized deformation bands is developed. To assess the model, a series of hypo-eutectoid Cu–Al alloys with controllable bimodal structures are prepared and their stress–strain curves in tension, together with those of bimodal copper (Wang et al., 2002) and bimodal Al–Mg alloys (Han et al., 2005) are predicted. Close agreement between the model-predicted and experimental results is obtained. The strength and uniform ductility of bimodal materials are observed in strong relation to the microstructural and constitutive parameters of volume fraction, strain hardening coefficient, and size of the coarse-grained ductile phase. Additionally, appropriate microstructural and constitutive parameters to achieve effective toughening can also be estimated according to the model.     

MODELING NONLINEAR DYNAMICS OF CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BEDS USING NEURAL NETWORKS

In the present work, artificial neural networks (ANNs) were proposed to model nonlinear dynamic behaviors of local voidage fluctuations induced by highly turbulent interactions between the gas and solid phases in circulating fluidized beds. The fluctuations of local voidage were measured by using an optical transmittance probe at various axial and radial positions in a circulating fluidized bed with a riser of 0.10 m in inner diameter and 10 m in height. The ANNs trained with experimental time series were applied to make short-term and long-term predictions of dynamic characteristics in the circulating fluidized bed. An early stop approach was adopted to enhance the long-term prediction capability of ANNs. The performance of the trained ANN was evaluated in terms of time-averaged characteristics, power spectra, cycle number and short-term predictability analysis of time series measured and predicted by the model.     

Flow dynamics and contact efficiency in a novel fast-turbulent fluidized bed with ring-feeder internals

The flow dynamics in a novel fast-turbulent fluidized bed(FTFB) with middle-upper expanding structure and two different ring-feeder internals(mixed and vortex ring-feeder) were studied to achieve a reduction in gasoline olefin production.Compared with a conventional circulating fluidized bed,the novel FTFB displayed unique characteristics and advantages.A higher solids holdup and more uniform solids holdup distribution existed in the diameter-expanding region,especially for the FTFB with vortex ring-feeder structure.A probability density distribution analysis indicated that the novel fluidized bed could reduce gas-solids segregation and enhance gas-solids interaction.A constant carbon dioxide tracer system was used to simulate the reactant gas distribution.The gas-solids contact efficiency was defined according to the solid dispersibility and the amount of gas covering the solid surface.Novel FTFB risers,especially those with vortex ring-feeders,have a much higher gas-solids contact efficiency than that of traditional risers.     

Effect of a pulsating flow on hydrodynamics and fluid catalytic cracking chemical reaction in a circulating fluidized bed riser

The three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (3D-CFD) of a pulsating flow applied to the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) reaction was investigated in the riser of a circulating fluidized bed reactor. The kinetic parameters of the FCC and coke burning reactions for predicting the reactant conversion and product yield percentages were applied. To increase the reactant conversion level and product yield, the effect of the pulsating flow operating parameters was considered using a 2^k statistical experimental design with four factors (amplitude, frequency, types of the waveform, and amplitude ratio). The 3D-CFD simulation was successfully validated from the experimental literature data. The frequency and type of the waveform were found to be the significant operating parameters. The expression of the fitted regression model and response surface contour were derived and revealed that the pulsating flow provides a higher reactant conversion level and product yield percentages compared to a non-pulsating or steady flow.