EFFECTS OF PARTICLE CHARACTERISTICS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A FAST FLUIDIZED BED REACTOR

Abstract

A heterogeneous model for the fast fluidized bed reactor which carries out a gas-solid non catalytic reaction is presented. The hydrodynamics of the fast fluidized bed is characterized by the model of Kwauk et al. (1985) which assumes the existence of two phases; a dense phase and a dilute pneumatic transport phase. For a given solid flowrate, the length of the reactor occupied by each phase depends on gas velocity, particle diameter and density and average voidage within the reactor. The gas-solid reaction is assumed to follow the shrinking core model. The solids are assumed to be completely backmixed in the dense phase and move in plug How in the dilute pneumatic transport phase. The gas phase is assumed to be in plug flow in both phases For given gas and solid flowrates, the transition from the dense phase flow to the fast fluidized bed (containing two regions) as functions of particle size and density is determined using the model of Kwauk et al. (1985). The numerical solution of the governing mass ba...