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Fluidization of micronic particles in a conical fluidized bed: Experimental and numerical study of static bed height effect
Author(s) -
Bahramian Alireza,
Olazar Martin
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.12621
Subject(s) - fluidization , drag , fluidized bed , mechanics , slip (aerodynamics) , conical surface , pressure drop , geotechnical engineering , computer simulation , drag coefficient , eulerian path , materials science , geology , thermodynamics , physics , lagrangian , composite material , mathematical physics
The numerical simulations and experimental data of bed hydrodynamics in a conical fluidized bed unit are compared. Experimental studies have been carried out in a bed containing TiO 2 particles belonging to A/C boundary of Geldart's classification with a wide particle‐size distribution. Thus, pressure measurements and an optical fiber technique allowed determining the effect of static bed height on the fluidization characteristics of micronic particles. Numerical simulations have then been performed to evaluate the sensitivity of gas‐solids drag models. The Eulerian multiphase model has been used with different drag models and three boundary conditions (BC) consisting of no‐slip, partial‐slip, and free‐slip. The numerical predictions using the Gidaspow drag model and partial‐slip BC agreed reasonably well with the experimental bed pressure drop measurements. The simulation results obtained for bed expansion ratio show that the Gidaspow model with the free‐slip BC best fit with the experimental data. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012