Drying of industrial sludge waste in a conical spouted bed dryer. Effect of air temperature and air velocity

To determine the performance of a conical spouted bed dryer for the drying of sludge waste, an experimental study of drying in a spouted bed regime was performed under different experimental conditions. The drying performance was determined based on the time evolution of solid moisture content, and the influence of operating conditions (inlet air temperature, air flow rate, and bed mass) on the drying rate of sludge waste in spouted beds of a conical geometry was analyzed.     

Effect of interparticle forces on the conical spouted bed behavior of wet particles with size distribution

This paper aims to analyze air-solid flow behavior in conical spouted beds composed of glass bead mixtures coated by glycerol. Four mixtures of glass beads are used as the solid phase. Although these mixtures have the same mean Sauter diameter, each one is characterized by a different size distribution function (mono-sized; flat, Gaussian or binary size distribution). When glycerol is added to the bed of these particles, which are spouted by air, the gas-solid flow characteristics are changed due to the growth of interparticle forces; however, the trends of these changes are affected by the glass bead mixture type as well as by the concentration of glycerol. For beds of mono-sized particles, the minimum spouting velocity is maintained almost unchanged as the glycerol concentration rises; while, for beds of inert particle mixtures, this velocity increases, becoming greater for flat and binary size distribution particles. Conversely, the minimum spouting pressure drop decreases as the glycerol concentration rises for all beds of particles used. Based on theoretical prediction of interparticle forces, it is shown that these changes in the minimum spouting conditions can be explained by the magnitude of these forces.     

Comparison of numerical simulations and experiments in conical gas-solid spouted bed

Flowbehavior of gas and particles in conical spouted beds is experimentally studied and simulated using the twofluid gas-solid model with the kinetic theory of granular flow. The bed pressure drop and fountain height are measured in a conical spouted bed of 100mmI.D. at different gas velocities. The simulation results are compared with measurements of bed pressure drop and fountain height. The comparison shows that the drag coefficient model used in cylindrical beds under-predicted bed pressure drop and fountain height in conical spouted beds due to the partial weight of particles supported by the inclined side walls. It is found that the numerical results using the drag coefficient model proposed based on the conical spouted bed in this study are in good agreement with experimental data. The present study provides a useful basis for further works on the CFD simulation of conical spouted bed.     

Drying Of Pastes In Spouted Beds Of Inert Particles: Design Criteria And Modeling

The drying of pastelike materials can be performed well in spouted beds (SB) of inert particles. In this work the drying performance of pastes in conical pastes in conical spouted beds is analyzed as a function of column dimensions, fluid flow characteristics and paste properties. imulated data on fluid flow together with the experimental results on drying of different pastelike materials are presented and discussed to provide criteria for the design of a conical spouted bed dryer for suspensions.     

EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS OF A MECHANICALLY STIRRED SPOUTED BED DRYER

ABSTRACT

In order to increase the movement of the particles in the annular region of a conical spouted bed, a mechanical stirrer was incorporated. This led to a study of the fluid dynamics of the conical spouted bed of inert particles under different operating conditions: mass of inert particles, ratio of inert particles to suspension volumes, type of stirrer (2 designs) and stirrer speed.

The action of the stirrers resulted in increased movement of the particles, especially at low rpm values (≤ 90 rpm), with the loss of the annular region, and thus approaching the beds behavior to that of a fluidized bed. To characterize this novel type of spouted beds, the “minimum spouting flow” (Q_ms) parameter which is used usually was replaced by the “minimum pseudo-fluidizing flow” (Qmpr). The value of Q_mpf decreases when the agitation in the bed increases. A correlation for Q_mpf with the different operating conditions was developed.

Drying suspensions in the stirred spouted bed shows a considerable increase of drying capacity, over units without agitation.     

Drying Of Pastes In Spouted Beds Of Inert Particles: Design Criteria And Modeling

ABSTRACT

The drying of pastelike materials can be performed well in spouted beds (SB) of inert particles. In this work the drying performance of pastes in conical pastes in conical spouted beds is analyzed as a function of column dimensions, fluid flow characteristics and paste properties. imulated data on fluid flow together with the experimental results on drying of different pastelike materials are presented and discussed to provide criteria for the design of a conical spouted bed dryer for suspensions.     

Influence of solid-phase wall boundary condition on CFD simulation of spouted beds

The influence of solid-phase wall boundary condition in terms of specularity coefficient and particle–wall restitution coefficient on the flow behavior of spouted beds was investigated using two-fluid model approach in the computational fluid dynamics software FLUENT 6.3. Parametric studies of specularity coefficient and particle–wall restitution coefficient were performed to evaluate their effects on the flow hydrodynamics in terms of fountain height, spout diameter, pressure drop, local voidage and particles velocity. The numerical predictions were compared with available experimental data in the literatures to obtain the suitable values of specularity coefficient and particle–wall restitution coefficient for spouted beds. The simulated results show that the solid-phase wall boundary condition plays an important role in CFD modeling of spouted beds. The specularity coefficient has a pronounced effect on the spouting behavior and a small specularity coefficient (0.05) can give good predictions, while the particle–wall restitution coefficient is not critical for the holistic flow characteristics.     

Kinetic study of fast pyrolysis of sawdust in a conical spouted bed reactor in the range 400–500 °C

An original reactor (a conical spouted bed reactor) is used for the kinetic study of Pinus insignis sawdust pyrolysis in the range 400–500 °C under the usual conditions of this reactor for pyrolysis in a continuous regime. The equipment meets the requirements for pyrolysis kinetic study (bed isothermality, high mass and heat transfer between phases and short residence time of gaseous products). The results of yield of products are evidence of the good performance of the conical spouted bed reactor for obtaining a liquid product, with a maximum yield of 70 wt% in the range 440–460 °C. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Mass transfer in liquid-fluidized and spouted beds of ion exchange resin at low Reynolds number

Rates of mass transfer from the liquid phase to small ion exchange resin particles (0.78 mm in mean diameter) in fluidized and spouted beds were studied experimentally. Dilute aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide was fed into the beds of strong cation exchange resin and the exit concentration of the solution was determined by conductivity measurement. In spouted beds, the initial conversion and K_l increased with bed height, but decreased with fluid flowrate. The model, applying material balance of the reactant and axisymmetric flow of fluid in the annulus of a spouted bed, predictions of the initial conversion in spouted beds are satisfactory. In fluidized beds, the obtained mass transfer coefficients were correlated and compared with other works.     

Mathematical modeling of polyethylene terephthalate pyrolysis in a spouted bed

A model has been developed for pyrolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in a spouted bed reactor based on the conservation equations for heat, mass, and momentum transports. A spouted bed has been constructed and the kinetic parameters have been obtained within the temperature range of 723–833 K, using two particle size ranges, (0.1–1.0) × 10^?3 and (1.0–3.0) × 10^?3 m. The model' predictions for the radial distributions of temperature and concentration confirm the excellent mixing of particles. Thus, spouted beds are appropriate equipments for performing kinetic studies of PET pyrolysis. The inlet gas temperature and the mass of PET highly affect PET conversion. The amount of inert particles has a negligible effect on the conversion and it can be reduced as far as a stable spouting is preserved. The gas flow suffices to eliminate the external heat and mass‐transfer limitations. It can be reduced to the minimum value to decrease the energy consumption. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 1900–1911, 2015     

Simulation Of Drying Suspension In A Conical Spouted Bed

A software for simulating the drying operation of diluted suspensions in conical spouted beds of inert particles has been developed. This computer program combines the fluid flow and the solids circulation models with the drying kinetic equations. The simulated results for drying animal blood in a spouted bed of inert particles compare with data reported in the literature.     

Fluid Dynamics of a Sand‐Biomass Mixture in a Spouted‐Bed Reactor for Fast Pyrolysis

The spouted‐bed reactor represents an interesting alternative to pyrolysis as compared with conventional fluid beds due to its better performance in handling coarse and irregular materials, requiring lower fluidizing flow rates and providing intense thermal contact. The fluid dynamics of a mixture of sand and sugarcane bagasse in a spouted bed was investigated. Since this process involves a mixture of solids of different sizes, shapes, and densities, particle segregation was also analyzed. The results provided significant insights about the segregation phenomenon which may cause severe operating problems during pyrolysis. Various mixture compositions were identified in which the particles exhibited good circulation in the bed.     

Spouted bed and spout-fluid bed behaviour in a column of diameter 0.91 m

Hydrodynamic measurements were obtained in a half-column of diameter 0.91 m equipped with a conical base using particles of diameter 3.3 to 6.7mm with operation both as pure spouted beds and in the spout-fluid bed mode. Comparison of the experimental results for minimum spouting velocity with equations in the literature generally gave unsatisfactory agreement. On the other hand, the correlations of McNab (1972) and Had?isdmajlovi? et al. (1983) gave reasonable predictions of spout diameters in spouted and spout-fluid beds respectively. Hydrodynamic regimes with auxiliary air present were broadly similar to those determined in smaller columns. However, there were substantial dead regimes at the bottom of the column. A finite difference model based on the vector form of the Ergun equation gave good predictions of air flow distribution and longitudinal pressure profiles.     

A Discussion on Minimum Spout Velocity and Jet Penetration Length

The similarity and difference between the flat‐bottom and cone‐bottom cylindrical spouted beds, conical spouted beds and vertical upward jets in fluidized beds have been analyzed in this paper based on the effects of geometrical parameters on the minimum spouting velocity and operating stabilities of the spouted beds. The effect of angle on minimum spouting velocity was found to be only significant within the range of 30 to 60 degrees cone angles. Minimum spouting velocity in deep cylindrical spouted beds was proportional to the square root of the static bed height, but was proportional to the static bed height in conical spouted beds and large cylindrical spouted beds with small height‐to‐diameter ratio. The relationship between the minimum spouting velocity and the static bed height was consistent with that between jet velocity and the vertical jet penetration length in jetting fluidized beds.     

HEAT TRANSFER IN SPOUTED BEDS

Experiments were carried out in order to analyse the wall-to-bed and fluid-to-particle heat transfer coefficients in spouted Beds. wall-to-bed heat transfer coefficients were determined in cylindrical-conical and conical spouted beds for various gas flow rates, particle sizes and bed heights for spouted beds with and without draft tubes.

A new definition for wall-to-bed transfer coefficient was proposed baaed on experimental observations.

The heat tranefer area was also studied to ensure that a physically significant fluid-to-particle heat transfer coefficient was achieved.     

Prediction of pressure drop and minimum spouting velocity in draft tube conical spouted beds using genetic programming approach

The smart method of genetic programming (GP) is used to predict the operating pressure drop (ΔP_s) and the minimum spouting velocity u_ms for conical spouted beds (CSBs) equipped with nonporous draft tubes. Accordingly, six dimensionless variables have been taken as model inputs, including crucial parameters associated with the bed and tube geometric and operating conditions. Two general correlations comprising almost all constitutive and operating variables have been derived for the first time by the GP approach. Both ΔP_s and u_ms values predicted by the GP technique are in a fair agreement with the values corresponding to the experiments, with average absolute relative errors (AARE) of 18.9 and 19.9 %, respectively. The results of the proposed correlations show that the GP method is a powerful tool to make reasonable estimates.     

Investigations on heat transfer and hydrodynamics under pyrolysis conditions of a pilot-plant draft tube conical spouted bed reactor

This paper describes the hydrodynamic and heat transfer performance of a pilot-plant scale conical spouted bed reactor designed for the pyrolysis of biomass wastes. The spouted bed reactor is the core of a fast pyrolysis pilot plant with continuous biomass feed of up to 25 kg/h, located at the Ikerlan-IK4 facilities.The aim of this paper is to obtain a deeper understanding of the spouted bed reactor performance at pyrolysis temperatures, in order to operate under stable conditions, improve the heat transfer rate in the reactor and minimize energy requirements. The influence of temperature on conical spouted bed hydrodynamics has been studied and wall-to-bed and bed-to-surface heat transfer coefficients have been determined.     

SIMULATION OF DRYING SUSPENSIONS IN SPOUT-FLUID BEDS OF INERT PARTICLES

In spouted and spout fluid bed dryers, the suspension is spread into the bed of inert particles, covering these particles with a thin layer. As the inert particles circulate, this suspension layer is dried and must become brittle enough to break off by the particle attrition. The powder produced is then carried out by air. Problems with the spout stability, particle agglomeration and powder deposits inside the column should be overcome by controlling the drying operation. The present work is aimed at modeling and simulating the drying of suspensions, such as organic and biological pastes, in conical spout-fluid beds of inert particles. A computer program has been developed combining the air flow and particle circulation models with the mass and energy balances and the drying kinetic equations in order to describe this drying process. The effect of cohesive forces is also incorporated to the fluid flow model. Simulation results are analyzed and compared with experimental data reported in the literature. Implication of these results in drying suspensions is also discussed.     

Minimum spouting velocity of dense particles in shallow spouted beds

Quantitative method is used to experimentally measure the minimum spouting velocity in shallow conical spouted bed. And a new minimum spouting correlation for shallow conical spouted beds is developed. It is based on spherical ZrO₂ particles whose density is as high as 5890 kg/m³ while the other U_ms correlations published so far are mainly based on relatively deep conical beds composed of lower density particles with density around or lower than 3000 kg/m³. The new U_ms correlation can predict U_ms of heavy particles well within the range of the experimental matrix. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Computer simulations of gas-solid flow in spouted beds using kinetic-frictional stress model of granular flow

A gas-solid two-fluid flow model is presented. The kinetic-frictional constitutive model for dense assemblies of solids is incorporated in the simulations of spouted beds. This model treats the kinetic and frictional stresses of particles additively. The kinetic stress is modeled using the kinetic theory of granular flow, while the friction stress is from the combination of the normal frictional stress model proposed by Johnson et al. (J. Fluid Mech. 210 (1990) 501) and the modified frictional shear viscosity model proposed by Syamlal et al. (MFIX documentation. US Department of Energy, Federal Energy Technology Center, Morgantown, 1993). The body-fitted coordination is used to make the computational grids best fit the shape of conical contour of the base in the spouted beds. The effects of inclined angle of conical base on the distributions of particle velocities and concentrations in the spout, annulus and fountain zones were numerical studied. Calculated particle velocities and concentrations in spouted beds were in agreement with experimental data obtained by He et al. (Can. J. Chem. Eng. 72 (1994a) 229; (1994b) 561) and San Jose et al. (Chem. Eng. Sci. 53 (1998) 3561).