Prediction of in-bed tube erosion rates in fluidized beds. Topical report, January 1992--June 1992

Abstract

The objective of this research is to predict the erosion rates of in-bed tubes of specific materials in fluidized beds by using a novel approach that we have recently developed. This technique assesses the erosion rates of in-bed tubes by considering two key factors: the peaks of the transient forces of solid particles and the characteristic erosion properties of tube materials concerned. We developed a simple characterization method to assess the erosion rates of in-bed tubes. With this method, an erosion index considering the surface area, weight loss of in-bed tubes, and the operating time, was used. A systematic study was carried out in a 411 rectangular fluidized bed to study the relationship between erosion rate and maximum transient forces of solid particles in fluidized beds. Three different kinds of metal tubes, with well defined tensile strength (at) and elasticity modulus (E), were used. They are copper, aluminum and stainless steel. By considering the tensile strength and elasticity modulus, together with the peaks of transient forces of solid particles, a characteristic erosion function was introduced. This characteristic function was found to have a good correlation with the erosion rate. Thus, the prediction of in-bed tube erosion rates was achieved, when the peaks of transient forces of solid particles and tube material`s characteristic properties are known.