Numerical study of the hydrodynamics and heat transfer characteristics of gas–solid in a slit-less rotating fluidized bed in static geometry

Abstract

A rotating fluidized bed in static geometry (RFB-SG) without slits is presented in this paper as a research objective. The concept of RFB-SG is highly beneficial in numerous industrial operations such as granular drying, particle coating, mixing, agglomeration, and combustion. In this study, a three-dimensional CFD model is developed using the commercial software ANSYS FLUENT 14.5, to investigate hydrodynamics and heat transfer characteristics of gas–solid in the vortex chamber. The analysis of the flow pattern of gas–solid and the prediction of fluidization capacity have been made, using appropriate parameters. The findings showed that the significant factors, such as inlet air velocity, solid-bed thickness, the volume fraction of solids, solids pressure, and heat transfer coefficient, influenced the reactor capacity. It is observed that the solid inventories of 300 and 500 g have been fluidized perfectly at inlet air velocities of 30 m s−1 and 44 m s−1, respectively. The overall operating and drying costs are found to be decreased due to the reduction in fluidization air requirements.