Studies of Gas Velocity And Particles Size Effects on Fluidized Bed Hydrodynamics with Cfd Modeling and Experimental Investigation

Abstract

AbstractWith applying Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques, hydrodynamics of a twodimensional non-reactive gas-solid fluidized bed reactor was investigated. A multi fluid Eulerian model incorporating the kinetic theory for solid particles was applied to simulate the unsteady state behavior of this reactor and momentum exchange coefficients were calculated by using the Syamlal-O'Brien drag functions. A suitable numerical method that employed finite volume method applied to discritize the equations. Simulation results also indicated that small bubbles were produced at the bottom of the bed. These bubbles collided with each other as they moved upwards forming larger bubbles. Also, solid particles diameter and superficial gas velocity effect on hydrodynamics were studied. Simulation results were compared with the experimental data in order to validate the CFD model. Pressure drops and bed expansion ratio as well as the qualitative Gas-Solid flow patterns predicted by the simulations were in good agreement with experimental measurements at superficial gas velocities higher than the minimum fluidization velocity. Furthermore, this comparison showed that the model can predict hydrodynamicsbehavior of gas solid fluidized bed reasonably well.