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Impact of a draft tube on industrial‐scale Fluid Coker™ Spray Jets in fluidized beds
Author(s) -
ZirGachian M. Ali,
Briens Cedric,
Berruti Franco,
McMillan Jennifer
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.23063
Subject(s) - nozzle , draft tube , fluidized bed , agglomerate , materials science , spray nozzle , spray characteristics , distributor , composite material , waste management , mechanical engineering , engineering
In fluidized bed reactors such as Fluid Cokers™, liquid injections are used. Good contact between liquid and bed solids is required to maximize product yields and quality, and gas‐atomized nozzles are, therefore, used in all these processes. The spray nozzle technology is known to affect the liquid distribution. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the effect on liquid distribution of a draft tube located downstream of the spray nozzle, inside the fluidized bed. Experiments were conducted at a relevant scale, using a commercial‐scale nozzle with a liquid flow rate of about 100 L/min in a large‐scale pilot fluid bed containing about 7 tonnes of silica sand. Liquid injected into a fluidized bed either forms liquid‐solid agglomerates or free moisture, consisting of individual particles coated with a thin layer of liquid. Several electrodes were used to map the free moisture distribution throughout the bed. A draft tube greatly improves the contact efficiency throughout the bed. It also increases the penetration of the gas‐liquid jet formed by spray inside the fluidized bed.