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Numerical Investigation of Pressure Drop in Single Pellet String Reactors
Author(s) -
Fernengel Johanna,
Bolton Leslie,
Hinrichsen Olaf
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemical engineering and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-4125
pISSN - 0930-7516
DOI - 10.1002/ceat.201900372
Subject(s) - pressure drop , mechanics , pellet , drop (telecommunication) , computer simulation , cylinder , diameter ratio , computational fluid dynamics , aspect ratio (aeronautics) , chemistry , materials science , physics , mathematics , geometry , engineering , mechanical engineering , composite material
In narrow fixed‐bed reactors the influence of the confining wall on pressure drop cannot be neglected. Here, the pressure drop in single pellet string reactors, a limiting case of fixed‐bed reactors with a cylinder‐to‐particle diameter ratio below 2, is studied using computational fluid dynamics simulations. Deviations to the Ergun, and more specifically Blake‐Kozeny equation are evident though the general trend is met. A geometry‐based weighting factor is introduced to scale the influence of the confining wall in an equivalent diameter expression. Agreement between numerical simulation and pressure drop predictions from correlation are thereby improved significantly.