Modeling the electrostatic effect on the hydrodynamic behavior in FCC risers: From understanding to application

A CFD simulation was proposed to investigate the electrostatic effect on the hydrodynamic behavior of turbulent gas–solid flow in FCC risers. The simulation was first verified using the open experimental data with expected electrostatic effects observed in FCC risers. The influences of several operating parameters on the degree of electrification in FCC risers were analyzed, such as surface charge densities, pressure, gas velocity. It was noted that the gas velocity played a highly significant role compared with solid flux, while the effect of pressure was relatively weak. Further analysis showed that a much stronger electrostatic effect was found in small-scale FCC risers than their large-scale counterparts, and in addition, the major regions affected by the electrostatic charge depend on the scale of the riser. Finally, an external electric field was applied to optimize the flow field distribution in the FCC riser. The results of the electrostatic effects on the hydrodynamic behaviors in FCC risers are of great use in providing a reference for the optimization of FCC risers and their scaling.