Experimental investigation of three-dimensional gas-solid flow in CFB cyclone separator using electrical capacitance volume tomography

Abstract

The anisotropic three-dimensional flow field inside cyclone separators makes it challenging to capture the gas-solid flow characteristics, and the internal behavior of the cyclone separator remains not fully understood. The gas-solid flow characteristics inside a cyclone separator of the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) are investigated using electrical capacitance volume tomography (ECVT). The solid fraction, average velocity, and frequency characteristics of particles were extracted from ECVT images. The experimental results show that the number of turns for the dust strands spirals gradually increases as the inlet gas velocity Uf increases. The axial velocity of the particles in the cylindrical part of the cyclone separator is always greater than in the conical part. In addition, the difference in inlet gas velocity and particle size results in different particle flow characteristics in the CFB riser. It leads to the differences in the particle circulation rate and flow pattern in the cyclone separator.