Critical Study on RotaryFluidized bed as a Diesel Particulate Filter using SiC particles

Abstract

The conventional fluidized beds are tried as an after treatment method in Diesel engine to remove particulate matter (PM) from exhaust gas. Pressure drop is main concern for any after treatment method in internal combustion engine. Current study is focused on analysis of pressure drop across rotary fluidized bed with static geometry (RBSG), to check its feasibility as Diesel particulate filter. In the present work using air as a working medium and SiC as bed particle pressure drop acrossRBSG is theoretically and experimentally investigated. Multi objective genetic algorithm used to optimize the rotating fluidized bed parameters such as bed particle size, reactor inlet and outlet diameter, length of reactor, no of inlets. The no of inlet, Particle diameter and mass of particle were varied to study its effect on fluidization and pressure drop. Pressure drop were high for smaller SiC bed particle size (110 um) and increases with further loading of particles; however it drastically decreases with increase in no of inlets. Experimental result shows that the pressure drop across fluidized bed decreases as size of SiC particles increase. Accumulation of particles was observed with single inlet near the air inlet area, with two inlets better fluidization found out without accumulation. Experimental results provides first step in accessing the potential of RBSG as an efficient technique which can be used as Diesel particulate filter.