Pneumatic jet-control valve for dual circulating fluidized beds

Abstract

With the rapid development of circulating fluidized bed (CFB) technology in different fields, the disadvantages of conventional non-mechanical valves are becoming more apparent, and they are not suitable to be used in complex CFB systems. In this paper, a novel non-mechanical valve named the jet-control valve is presented which can avoid the fluidization of solid particles. The feasibility and performance characteristics of the new valve are investigated with a cold-model dual CFB. The results show that compared with the conventional non-mechanical valve, the jet-control valve can transfer solid particles steadily over a larger range, prevent artesian flow, and improve the leakage characteristics. The effects of the operating parameters and structural parameters on the minimum aeration velocity, solid flow rate, and maximum solid flow rate are studied. A two-valve model is proposed to explain the transport capacity of the valve for one jet pipe. A semi-theoretical expression is obtained based on the experimental data with a maximum deviation of 30% providing useful guide for scaling-up the design.