Gas-solid Fluidized Bed Reactor Research Articles

Photocatalytic Ethanol Oxidative Dehydrogenation over Pt/TiO2: Effect of the Addition of Blue Phosphors

Ethanol oxidative dehydrogenation over Pt/TiO2photocatalyst, in the presence and absence of blue phosphors, was performed. The catalyst was prepared by photodeposition of Pt on sulphated TiO2. This material was tested in a gas-solid photocatalytic fluidized bed reactor at high illumination efficiency. The effect of the addition of blue phosphors into the fluidized bed has been evaluated. The synthesized catalysts were extensively characterized by different techniques. Pt/TiO2with a loading of 0.5 wt% of Pt appeared to be an active photocatalyst in the selective partial oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde improving its activity and selectivity compared to pure TiO2. In the same way, a notable enhancement of ethanol conversion in the presence of the blue phosphors has been obtained. The blue phosphors produced an increase in the level of ethanol conversion over the Pt/TiO2catalyst, keeping at the same time the high selectivity to acetaldehyde.

Study of Heat Transfer and Hydrodynamics in a Gas-Solid Fluidized Bed Reactor Experimentally and Numerically

—In this research, the heat transfer and hydrodynamics of a gas–solid fluidized bed reactor were studied experimentally and computationally. A multi-fluid Eulerian computational model incorporating the kinetic theory for solid particles was developed and used to simulate the heat conducting gas–solid flows in a fluidized bed configuration. Momentum exchange coefficients were evaluated using the Syamlal–O’Brien drag functions. Temperature distributions of different phases in the reactor were also computed. Good agreement was found between the model predictions and the experimentally obtained data for the bed expansion ratio as well as the qualitative gas–solid flow patterns. The simulation and experimental results showed that the gas temperature decreases as it moves upward in the reactor, while the solid particle temperature increases. Pressure drop and temperature distribution predicted by the simulations were in good agreement with the experimental measurements at superficial gas velocities higher than the minimum fluidization velocity. Also, the predicted time-average local voidage profiles were in reasonable agreement with the experimental results. The study showed that the computational model was capable of predicting the heat transfer and the hydrodynamic behavior of gas-solid fluidized bed flows with reasonable accuracy.

Intensification of gas-phase photoxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde by using phosphors as light carriers

In this work a significant improvement of VO(x)/TiO(2) photocatalytic activity in the selective partial oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde was achieved by the simultaneous irradiation with light emitting phosphorescent particles and UVA-LEDs as external light source. Photocatalytic tests were carried out in a gas-solid photocatalytic fluidized bed reactor at high illumination efficiency, in which the bed is constituted by VO(x)/TiO(2) photocatalyst at nominal V(2)O(5) content of 5 wt% and suitable selected phosphors, diluted with glass spheres. In this way, phosphors were fluidized together with the catalyst, excited by external UVA-LEDs, emitting their stored energy in close proximity to the catalyst. In the absence of phosphors the ethanol consumption rate initially grows linearly with initial alcohol concentration, then bends towards an asymptotic value for initial ethanol concentration higher than 0.5 vol%. By contrast, when phosphors are present, the ethanol consumption rate increased linearly in the overall range. In all cases acetaldehyde was the main product detected in gas phase with a selectivity of about 97%, ethylene and carbon dioxide the by-products. The results evidenced that the presence of phosphors allowed improved photon transfer, increasing the apparent quantum yield from 2 to 30% together with a high photoreactivity.

Cold-Model Study on Fluidized-Bed Photo-Oxidation Reactor for Shenfu Coal

The flow state of both the solid and gas phase in the fluidized-bed photo-oxidation reactor for Shenfu coal was studied by cold-model tests. The results showed that the appropriate pipe diameter, particle size of coal, and the coal addition for the gas-solid fluidized-bed reactor were 22 mm, 60-80 mesh, and 10g, respectively.

Screening wall effects of a thin fluidized bed by near-infrared imaging

Near-infrared (NIR) imaging was used to observe water vapour flow in a gas–solid fluidized bed reactor. The technique consisted of a broadband light, an optical filter with a bandwidth centred on strong water vapour absorptions, a Vidicon NIR camera, a nozzle from which an optically active mixture of gas and water vapour was trans-illuminated by an NIR beam and collected data of transmittance were normalized to actual optical path. The procedure was applied to a thin fluidized bed reactor with a low aspect ratio of tube to particle diameters ( D t/ d p) in order to validate the wall effect on flow dynamics and mass transfer during the reduction of ceria–silica by hydrogen. High concentrations of water vapour emerged in the vicinity of the wall when the bed was operated at pseudo-static conditions but disappeared when the bed was run at minimum bubbling conditions. This result shows the capability of optical methods with affordable costs to 2D imaging opaque packed bed by using a spatially resolved probe located at the exit, which is of great benefit for in situ visualization of anisotropic concentrations in packed beds under industrially relevant conditions and thus for elucidation of the underlying reaction mechanism and diffusion interactions.

Methanation in a fluidized bed reactor with high initial CO partial pressure: Part I—Experimental investigation of hydrodynamics, mass transfer effects, and carbon deposition

An extensive experimental study on the methanation reaction was carried out in a gas–solid fluidized bed reactor at 320 °C with a stoichiometric ratio of H 2/CO=3. By means of spatially resolved measurements of the axial gas species concentration and temperatures along the fluid bed the effects of different catalyst loadings, gas velocities and dilution rates were observed and analyzed. By applying this technique, it was found that most of the reaction (CO and H 2 conversion) proceeds in the first 20 mm of the bed depending on the experimental conditions. For a few cases, the temperature increases by up to 80 °C from 320 to 400 °C within the first 3 mm of the bed. By increasing the inlet volume flow only by a factor of 1.4, the temperature hotspot diminishes and isothermal behavior develops. For all experiments, a CO conversion of practically 100% was achieved. The experimental data indicate that the dense phase of the fluidized bed is probed and that mass transfer between bubble and dense phase is dominating in the upper part of the bed. It could be shown that both hydrodynamic and chemical boundary conditions influence the methanation reaction inside the fluidized bed reactor.

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

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.

Abatement of SO2 in a Multi-stage Counter-current Gas-solid Fluidized Bed Reactor.

A multistage counter-current gas-solid fluidized bed reactor operating in three stages has been designed, constructed and operated to investigate the hydrodynamics of the system. Staging of a fluidisation column with horizontal screens reduces the axial mixing of the phases and limits the formation and growth of the bubbles. The gas-solid flow mechanism, pressure drop and the solids holdup have been studied in continuous regime for two phase system over a wide range of stable operating conditions. The result of this study has great industrial importance for scale-up, design and steady operation of a multi-stage fluidized bed reactor for control of gaseous pollutants.

Comparison of influence of fluidization time on electrostatic charge build-up in the bubbling vs. slugging flow regimes in gas–solid fluidized beds

Electrostatic charge generation poses significant problems in some commercial gas–solid fluidized bed reactors such as those in gas-phase polyolefin production. Understanding the contributing factors to charge generation is important in determining the charge generation mechanisms, leading to the development of methods to reduce or prevent this phenomenon. This work focused on determining the effect of fluidization time on particle charging and the amount of particle adhesion on the fluidization column wall in both the bubbling and slugging flow regimes. The charging effect was investigated for particles in three regions of the fluidized bed: elutriated fines, bulk particles inside the bed, and particles adhered to the column wall. The particles size distribution, mass and charge were measured for all three regions. Fluidization was carried out with polyethylene resins from an industrial reactor; times of 15, 30, 60, 120, 180, and 360 min were evaluated. Increased fluidization time decreased the amount of particles mass collected in the bulk region and increased those adhered to the column wall during the velocities tested in the bubbling flow regime. Whereas the quantity of particles in each region was not affected by fluidization time for the velocities examined in the slugging flow regime. Bipolar charging was observed with relatively smaller particles becoming predominately positively charged and larger particles becoming predominately negatively charged. Each region of the bed affected the magnitude of net q/m, with elutriated fines having the largest magnitude, followed by those adhered to the column wall, and finally those in the bulk of the bed. Charge saturation was attained for fluidization times greater than 60 min for particles in the bulk and along the column wall for all gas velocities. However, extended fluidization times were required with the entrained fines in bubbling flow; whereas charge saturation of fines in slugging flow occurred shortly after the onset of fluidization. Mean particle diameter for each measurement region was not impacted by the fluidization time for any of the gas velocities tested. The bed hydrodynamics was found to definitely have an impact on the particle–wall fouling where the particle layer continued to develop on the inner column wall as fluidization time increased for those velocities in the bubbling regime while comparatively less impact on particle layer growth was observed in the slugging flow regime. In addition, the bubbling flow regime resulted in particle layers formed on the column wall to be longer and thinner whereas those formed in the slugging flow regime were shorter and thicker.

Investigation of electrostatic charge distribution in gas–solid fluidized beds

Over the past few decades there have been numerous attempts to measure electrostatic charges in gas–solid fluidized bed reactors; these charges have been prone to cause reactor downtime from electrostatic phenomena. In this study, a new system was developed that aimed to quantifying the electrostatic charge generation in three key areas within a gas–solid fluidized bed simultaneously: the bed particles, the particles that adhered to the column wall, and the particles that were entrained from the column. A unique online Faraday cup method was used to measure the electrostatic charge of the particles. The system was operated with dry air at two fluidizing gas velocities, one in the bubbling and the other in the slugging flow regime. An industrial polyethylene resin with a wide particle size range was utilized in all experiments. Results showed the occurrence of bi-polar charging in both flow regimes with entrained fines being mainly positively charged, whereas the bed particles and those attached to the column wall carrying a net negative charge. The charge-to-mass ratio ( q/ m) of the entrained fines in the bubbling regime was significantly higher than in the slugging regime. It was discovered that particles with a certain size range were predominantly adhering to the column wall with a significantly higher q/ m than the other bed particles. These findings led to a proposed mechanism for the migration of particles within the fluidization column due to the effect of electrostatic charge generation.

Identification of stable operating ranges of a counter-current multistage fluidized bed reactor with downcomer

This paper describes the stable operating range for a multistage gas–solid fluidized bed reactor and the influence of downcomer and aspect ratio on stable and uniform gas–solid fluidization. A three-stage counter-current fluidized bed reactor was designed, fabricated and operated and range of stable operation for lime and sand particles has been determined. In addition to that a comprehensive discussion on dynamics of downcomer has been made to ensure smooth transfer of solids from one stage to another. A theoretical model has been developed to predict the solid height in downcomer and tested for experimental conditions. The influence of aspect ratio on distributor to bed ratio ( P p/ P b) was investigated for the reactor for uniform fluidization.

Simulation of gas-solid fluidized bed reactor for F-T synthesis

Using the lumping method, CH4, C3H8, C10H22, and C22H44 were chosen as the model products, and CO as the key component. The mathematical model of a gas-solid fluidized bed reactor was established based on some hypotheses. The consumption kinetic model of CO was investigated, and the parameters were estimated by Universal Global Optimization with the Marquardt method. Residual error distribution and a statistical test show that the intrinsic kinetic models are reliable and acceptable. A model of carbon chain growth probability was established in terms of experiments. Coupled with the Ander-son-Schulz-Flory (ASF) distribution, the amount of specific product could be obtained. Large-scale cold model experiments were conducted to investigate the distribution of the gas (solid) phase and determine the function of the voidage with the location of the catalytic bed. The change tendencies of the components in the catalytic bed at different temperatures were computed and figured out. The calculated value computed by the model established for the Fe-based F-T synthesis catalyst fit the experimental value very well under the same operating conditions, and all the absolute values of the relative deviations are less than 5%.

Synthesis of multi-walled carbon nanotubes using Co–Fe–Mo/Al 2O 3 catalytic powders in a fluidized bed reactor

The effects of the metal loading (30–70 wt.%), metal molar ratio (Co/Fe, 1–5) and mass ratio of citric acid to the catalyst (0–0.6) on the productivity and mean diameter of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in a gas–solid fluidized bed reactor (with an inner diameter of 0.056 m and a height of 1.0 m) were determined. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was used as the carbon source. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to characterize the catalysts synthesized using a combustion method. MWCNTs synthesized in the fluidized bed reactor were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) to observe their morphologies and measure their diameters. Productivity was increased by increasing both the metal loading and the mass ratio of citric acid to the catalyst. A high productivity, up to 2000%, was obtained. The catalyst transition metal particle grain size decreased in the range of 8–17 nm with an increasing citric acid mass ratio to the catalyst and the mean diameter of the MWCNTs decreased with increasing the metal molar ratio, however the correlation between the grain size in the catalyst and the mean diameter of MWCNTs remains unclear.

A step forwards in ethanol selective photo-oxidation

This work focuses on the optimization of a photocatalyst formulation for the selective oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde. VO(x)/TiO(2) catalysts at different vanadium loading were studied in a gas-solid photocatalytic fluidized bed reactor at high illumination efficiency, in which the bed is constituted by photocatalyst diluted with alpha-Al(2)O(3) or silica gel. Photocatalytic tests showed the selective formation of acetaldehyde, with ethylene and carbon dioxide as by-products. Selectivity is influenced by the vanadium loading. For ethanol inlet concentration of 0.2 vol%, maximum conversion and acetaldehyde selectivity of 73% and 97%, respectively, were obtained at 100 degrees C on catalyst at nominal 5 wt% V(2)O(5) content (53% of surface monolayer) mixed with alpha-Al(2)O(3). Selective sites were related to surface polymeric vanadates possessing Ti-O-V and V-O-V functionalities while the photoactivity appeared correlated with the catalyst equivalent band gap energy. Increasing the ethanol inlet concentration to 1 vol% and diluting the catalyst with silica gel, total ethanol conversion with about 97% selectivity to acetaldehyde was achieved with a photoreactivity of 0.34 mol m(irradiated)(-3) s(-1). This is three times higher than reported for other photoreactors.

Improved Performances of a Fluidized Bed Photoreactor by a Microscale Illumination System

The performances of a gas‐solid two‐dimensional fluidized bed reactor in photocatalytic selective oxidation reactions, irradiated with traditional UV lamps or with a microscale illumination system based on UV emitting diodes (UVA‐LEDs), have been compared. In the photocatalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of cyclohexane to benzene on MoOx/TiO2‐A12O3 catalyst the use of UVA‐LEDs modules allowed to achieve a cyclohexane conversion and benzene yield higher than those obtained with traditional UV lamps. The better performances with UVA‐LEDs are due to the UVA‐LEDs small dimensions and small‐angle emittance, which allow photons beam be directed towards the photoreactor windows, reducing the dispersion outside of photoreactor or the optical path length. As a consequence, the effectively illuminated mass of catalyst is greater. We have found that this illumination system is efficient for photo‐oxidative dehydrogenation of cyclohexane to cyclohexene on sulphated MoOx/γ‐A12O3 and ethanol to acetaldehyde on VOx/TiO2.

New technique for electrostatic charge measurement in gas–solid fluidized beds

Electrostatic charge generation within gas–solid fluidized bed reactors has been a concern to industry for many years. Over the years, numerous methods for measuring this phenomenon within a fluidization column have been proposed. This paper focuses on the design of a new method that minimizes effects such as extra charging due to particle handling and bed hydrodynamic disruption due to the location of the measurement device. In addition, the new method provides the bulk charge of the bed particles rather than a local measurement. The device is flexible and can be adapted to a range of fluidization columns. The new method developed consisted of a Faraday cup placed within the windbox of a fluidization column. The distributor plate was designed in such a way that it can be automatically opened to drop the charged fluidizing particles into the Faraday cup below. The new measurement technique was validated by conducting fluidization experiments in a system consisting of a 0.10 m in diameter carbon steel column with glass beads as the fluidizing particles. The technique was proven to be suitable for measuring the total net electrostatic charges in gas–solid fluidized beds.

Accurate void fraction calculation for three-dimensional discrete particle model on unstructured mesh

An accurate and efficient analytical method for computing the three-dimensional local void fraction is proposed in the context of discrete particle modeling. It is developed for the general case of unstructured meshes whose use is unavoidable to efficiently simulate modern gas–solid fluidized bed reactors characterized by complex geometries. The method relates the three-dimensional void fraction to several geometrical parameters. This allows the exact voidage evaluation for the frequently occurring case of having particles not wholly contained within one grid cell regardless its shape. Failing to accurately account for these common particle configurations in dense gas–particle systems has proven detrimental to the accuracy of their simulations.

Hydrodynamics of a Multistage Countercurrent Fluidized Bed Reactor with Downcomer for Lime-Dolomite Mixed Particle System

In the present investigation, a multistage countercurrent gas-solid fluidized bed reactor with downcomer has been proposed. The basic operating parameters have been developed illustrating the mechanism of gas-solid contacting in the system. The system was operated in three stages in series one above the other in continuous regime for a two-phase system over a wide range of operating conditions including varying the weir height in order to determine the pressure drop. The data were generated under steady and stable operation of the column. The solids holdup of the proposed multistage system is higher than the single-stage system, which results in better mass-transfer characteristics. The results in this study assume importance from the standpoint of design and steady operation of a multistage fluidized bed reactor for control of gaseous pollutants. The fluidizing gas was air, and the solid phase was a mixture of dolomite and lime in varying proportions.

High-Quality Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes from Catalytic Decomposition of Carboneous Materials in Gas−Solid Fluidized Beds

The effects of reaction temperature (873-1223 K), carbon sources (CH 4 , C 2 H 2 , C 2 H 4 , and C 2 H 6 ), and the amount of catalyst (2.5-20 g) on the physical properties (tube diameter, conversion, volume expansion, intensity ratio of the D- and G-band peaks (I D /I G )) of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in a gas-solid fluidized bed reactor (with an inner diameter (id) of 0.056 m and a height of 1.0 m) have been determined. The MWCNTs synthesized by the catalytic decomposition of methane produce the smallest tube diameter and the highest intensity ratio (I D /I G ) among the carbon sources (acetylene, ethylene, and ethane). Although the tube diameter of MWCNTs that have been synthesized from the decomposition of methane and ethane at 1073 K are similar, the volume expansion of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) agglomerate from ethane is higher than that from methane. Both the tube diameter and the I D /I G ratio of the MWCNTs synthesized from the decomposition of methane decrease as the reaction temperature increases (in the temperature range of 1073-1223 K). The amount of catalyst does not affect the mean tube diameter of the synthesized CNTs; however, CNTs with a bamboo structure are synthesized when the carbon decomposition rate is higher than the CNT growth rate.

The Effect of Sulphate Doping on NanosizedTiO2andMoOx/TiO2Catalysts in Cyclohexane Photooxidative Dehydrogenation

The effect of sulphate doping of titania in promoting activity and selectivity ofMoOx/TiO2catalysts for the cyclohexane photooxidative dehydrogenation has been investigated in a gas-solid fluidized bed reactor. Sulphate and/or molybdate-modified titania catalysts were prepared by incipient wet impregnation of nanosized (5–10 nm crystallite size) samples. At 60% of titania surface coverage byMoOx, sulphate surface density was obtained up to 19μmol/m2without formation ofMoO3. The catalysts were characterized byN2adsorption-desorption at−196∘C, micro-Raman and UV-visible reflectance spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectroscopy (TG-MS), and mass titration. Unsulphated and sulphated titania are both active in cyclohexane total oxidation, but sulphate doping of titania has a detrimental effect on the reaction rate. On Mo-based catalysts, polymolybdate species enabled sulphated titania to convert cyclohexane to benzene (99% selectivity) and cyclohexene, reducing at zero the formation ofCO2. Cyclohexane conversion to benzene is almost linearly dependent on sulphate surface density, resulting in enhanced yield to benzene. The enhanced photooxidative dehydrogenation activity and benzene yield by sulphate doping could be attributed to the increase of surface acidity and, as a consequence, of cyclohexane adsorption.