Carbohydrates, comprising C6 sugars, dehydrate to form furfural (FUR) and 5- hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF). HMF is an intermediate for value-added specialty chemicals like 2,5-diformyl furan (DFF) and 2,5-furandi carboxylic acid, a monomer for polyethylene furaonate. Atomizing sugar solutions into catalytic fluidized beds operating beyond the caramelization temperature, Tcarm, accelerates reaction rates while avoiding humins, which are color forming agents characteristic of liquid phase processes. However, droplets partially coat particles in the spray zone and agglomerate due to liquid cohesive forces, which reduces heat transfer rates at the micro-scale and degrades reaction rates at the macro-scale. Here, we developed a CFD model to study the collision between a single feed droplet and a catalytic particle above Tcarm. We focused on evaluating the evaporation rate and heat transfer between the droplet and particle to promote vaporization the liquid feed, and assessing the impact of bed temperature, liquid feed rate, and superficial gas velocity. The highest DFF and furfural selectivity obtained are 17% and 24%, respectively, and these values are correlated to the maximum coke formation and agglomeration of 0.6% and 12g. However, the corresponding heat transfer and mass transfer are among the lowest values of 40% and 0.5W.
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