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Modeling and experimental investigation of a Wurster type fluidized bed reactor coupled with an air atmospheric pressure plasma jet for the surface treatment of polypropylene particles
Author(s) -
Tabibian Seyedshayan,
ArefiKhonsari Farzaneh,
Anagri Abdessadk,
Leturia Mikel,
Moussalem Antoine,
Moscosa Santillan Mario,
Saleh Khashayar,
Touari Yasmine,
Pulpytel Jerome
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plasma processes and polymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1612-8869
pISSN - 1612-8850
DOI - 10.1002/ppap.201800071
Subject(s) - materials science , wetting , polypropylene , fluidized bed , thermocouple , atmospheric pressure , plasma , analytical chemistry (journal) , composite material , chemistry , chromatography , meteorology , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Polypropylene (PP) particles are used for various purposes, however, the good mechanical properties of PP are counterbalanced by a poor wettability. The wettability of PP particles was therefore improved by an atmospheric pressure blown‐arc air plasma jet treatment in a new designed homemade Wurster fluidized bed reactor (Wurster‐FBR). This reactor, was used to treat 200 g of particles per batch. The surface free energy of PP particles determined by the Zisman method showed an increase from 30.7 to 38.6 mN m −1 after 120 s of treatment. XPS results showed a 5% increase of the atomic concentration of oxygen on the surface of the treated particles. In order to describe the process, a 2D axisymmetric non‐isothermal k‐ϵ turbulent model was used to determine the velocity field, pressure, and temperature profile of the gas phase inside the reactor. Furthermore an Eulerian‐Eulerian multiphasic CFD model was added to determine the dynamics of the particles inside the reactor, and the results were compared with fast imaging, thermocouple, and anemometry measurements. These investigations are very important to monitor the homogeneity of the particle treatments, to determine the average effective treatment time for each particle and to avoid overheating of thermally sensitive PP.