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Article
An Experimental and Simulation Study of Fluidization
Behavior of Palm Biomass in a Circulating Fluidized Bed Riser
Ahmad Hussain, Ahmed Iqbal, Hani Hussain Sait, Mohamed Ismail Basayoni,
Abdelkarim Morsy Hegab, Syed Waheed Hasan, and Farid Nasir Ani
Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., Just Accepted Manuscript • Publication Date (Web): 15 Nov 2013
Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on November 16, 2013
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Page 1 of 37 Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
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An Experimental and Simulation Study of Fluidization Behavior of Palm Biomass in
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6 a Circulating Fluidized Bed Riser
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9 Ahmad Hussain*1, Iqbal Ahmed*2, Hani Hussain Sait3, Mohamed Ismail Bassyouni4, 4†,
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11 Abdelkarim Morsy Hegab3, Syed Waheed ul Hasan4, Farid Nasir Ani5
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15 *1
16 Department of Nuclear Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi
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18 Arabia
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20 *2
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Chemical Engineering Department UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS, Bandar
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23 Seri Iskandar, 31750 Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia
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Department of Mechanical Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh, Saudi
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28 Arabia
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30 Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh,
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32 Saudi Arabia
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34 4†
35 Department of Chemical Engineering, Higher Technological Institute, Tenth of Ramdan
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37 City, Egypt
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Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor, Malaysia
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44 ABSTRACT
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46 Circulating Fluidized Bed Combustion (CFBC) technology is being used for few decades
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to burn biomass wastes while meeting the stringent emission standards, however, much is
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51 needed to be understood about the complex flow patterns that are encountered. This work
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53 is aimed at understanding the major fluidization characteristics in a CFB loop for palm
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56 shell waste powders. Effects of inlet air on the fluidization behavior were experimentally
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Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research Page 2 of 37
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investigated. The voidage of the bed material was found to be a function of axial distance
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6 above the distributor. The CFD modeling has also been done to quantify the riser exit
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8 effects. The flow was simulated using the “Algebraic Slip Mixture (ASM)” model. The
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simulation results discuss the deviation of velocity contours owing to variation in riser
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13 exit geometries. It was found that the influence is found significant in the upper region of
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15 the riser column and the velocity contours are also swayed by the exit geometry.
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20 Keywords: Algebraic Slip Mixture model, CFBC, hydrodynamics, riser exits,
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22 turbulence, velocity contours
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26 1. Introduction
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28 Circulating Fluidized Bed is an advantageous alternative for combustion of solid
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fuels because of its high fuel flexibility and it is possible to control the combustion
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33 temperature.1 The performance of a CFB boiler not only influenced by the mixing of gas
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35 and particles but also operating variables for a CFB include both the gas flow rate and the
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solids flow rate.2 Upright arrangement of the gas and solids flow structures in riser
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40 reactors is critical for proper industrial design. Essentially the hydrodynamics study of
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42 the riser, inside of which a suspended gas–solid flow takes place, is a key part of a CFB
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44 1,2 2
45 system. Recently Wang studied electrical capacitance volume tomography imaging
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47 (ECVT) of three-dimensional flow structures and solids concentration distributions in a
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49 riser and a bend of a gas–solid CFB. In their study they discussed the flow structures in
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52 the riser and the bend are investigated based on quantitative ECVT images. CFB
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54 technology is now finding applications in biomass combustion. Compared with the other
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renewable energy resources, biomass is abundant in annual production, up to 2740
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Quads, with geographically widespread distribution in the world. Wang
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6 experimentally investigated the flow structure in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB). They
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8 found that the solid concentration decreases with the increase of the superficial gas
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velocity. Zaabout investigated the behavior of the solid phase in the upper zone of a
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13 circulating fluidized bed riser. It was concluded that superficial gas velocity has a larger
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effect on descending particles at the wall. Miao used sawdust as the bed materials to
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18 investigate its fluidization characteristics in a cold model circulating fluidized bed. They
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20 concluded that the shapes of the sawdust affect the operating conditions.
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23 Principally, Brereton and Grace 7-9
have performed very inclusive study to date in
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26 superficial solids suspension density in risers with smooth and rapid exits. They
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28 determined that rapid exits internally reflect a considerable portion of the incoming core
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solids down the riser wall, whereas smooth exits let the typical of up flowing solids to
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33 exit the riser.8 Brereton and Grace established that the exit geometry can influence
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35 pressure and density profiles along a considerable length of the riser. Thus, a large
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38 number of investigators have reported apparently differing results concerning the
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40 influence of the riser exit . Most of these studies were executed in cold, laboratory-
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42 scale units particularly of circular and square cross section risers. 9 Contemporary, Harris
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45 and Davidson has summarized a very comprehensively report of the previous
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47 researchers on the influence of riser exit geometry on the riser axial solids concentration
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profile in circulating fluidized-bed.
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53 Therefore, this study is focused on determining the fluidization behavior of palm
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55 shell waste which is available in abundance in a number of regions of the world. The high
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degree of fuel flexibility that characterizes many designs of CFBC often allows a plant
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operator to select fuels on the basis of what may be currently available at an economic
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6 price and, where appropriate, produce a fuel blend that combines several such elements.
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The solids holdup, the length of the acceleration section, hydrodynamic mixing and
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transfer phenomena in risers are all influenced heavily by the riser inlet design. Factors
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13 that also affect riser bottom operations include the condition and rate of entering solids,
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15 the arrangement of main air and secondary air inlets at the riser bottom and so on. 12 Hu
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18 experimentally studied the effects of riser height and solids inventory on the gas-solids
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20 flows in a CFB. They were able to identify an S-shaped voidage profile. Breault 14 did the
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22 analysis of clustering flow in a CFB riser using numerical computations. The change in
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25 the Gibbs free energy was related to cluster size. A cold CFB test rig which has a
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27 rectangular riser made of Plexiglas has been used for the study of fluidization behavior as
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it enabled the visualization of flow structure inside the riser. Usually a square or
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32 rectangular cross-section is common for industrial CFB combustors. By contrast, basic
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34 scientific work on CFBs is usually done on risers of circular cross-section, to simplify the
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37 flow pattern. The study investigated the hydrodynamics and wall edges effect in the riser
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39 section. This is a novel detailed investigation on the fluidization behavior of palm shell
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41 waste powders in a CFB. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is used investigate
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44 various industrial riser exits designs as it can seriously affect the gross-behavior of a
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46 CFB.
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2. Experimental
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53 2.1. Design of Cold CFB Test Rig
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In order to study fluidization behavior of a CFB, a lab-scale cold CFB test rig was
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6 used to fluidize various solids e.g. sand, palm shell waste, rice husk etc. The CFB test rig
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8 consists of an air supply device, a distributor of stainless steel, a see through riser column
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of Plexiglas, primary and secondary cyclones of stainless steel and a solid feeding
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13 system. The typical arrangement of the CFB test rig and the design features are illustrated
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elsewhere, and dimensions of various sections of the test rig are summarized in Table
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18 1.
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2.2. Biomass materials and preparation
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24 The oil palm shell wastes are one of the major agricultural wastes in Malaysia.
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26 The samples of these oil palm wastes were taken from the palm oil mill of Federal Land
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29 Development Authority (FELDA), at Kulai, Johor. The oil palm shell wastes were found
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31 to be having an average size of 8 mm while the size of shell particles varied from 4 to 13
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33 mm. In order to make the particle size suitable for fluidisation experiments in a CFB,
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36 which can vary from 300 µm to 850 µm, the shell particles were grinded and sieved to get
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38 the palm shell powders of 600 µm size for experimental purpose.
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2.3. Measurement of Axial voidage distribution in CFB
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45 The axial voidage distribution in circulating fluidized beds is an important
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47 parameter to be determined. A multi-tube manometer was used to measure the axial
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50 pressure at various pressure tapings provided in the riser section and the L-connector. The
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52 number of tapings available in the riser section is seven while in the L-connector are two.
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54 The pressure taps were made air tight by using sealing material. All the pressure taps fed
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57 to multi tube manometer tubes. The pressure tap through the riser wall had a copper tube
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inserted into it. The locations of the pressure measuring taps in the riser section were at
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6 the height of 0.3, 0.6, 1.02, 1.52, 1.85 and 2.25 m which were measured from the base of
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8 first riser section.
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11 The pressure profiles are used to calculate axial solids volume fraction profiles, by
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application of:
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17 1 p& 2 − p& 1
εs =−
18 ρ s g z 2 − z1 (1)
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22 In the above equation, ε s is the cross-section average solids volume fraction, (z2 – z1) is
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25 the difference in elevation between two consecutive pressure tapings, and ( p& 2 − p& 1 ) is the
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pressure differential between the two elevations.
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31 3. Simulation of Fluidization in a CFB
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34 Due to the mathematical complexities of the non-linearity of the equations and in
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36 defining the interpenetrating and moving phase boundaries make numerical solutions
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38 very difficult. Thus, Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has emerged as a very
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41 promising tool in modeling hydrodynamics in fluidized beds. While it is now a standard
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43 tool for single-phase flows, it is at the development stage for multiphase systems, such as
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fluidized beds. Simulations were performed by Jalil in fluidized bed with the
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48 presence of air and sand using FLUENT 4.56. The research was carried out at various
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50 velocities. The performance of the bed was better at higher gas velocities. Many
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53 researchers have simulated three-dimensional two fluids CFD model of gas particle flow
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55 in the CFB using the code CFX-4.3. They have modeled turbulence by k-ε turbulence
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model in the gas phase and a fixed particle viscosity model in the solid phase. This CFD
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6 model showed good agreement with the experiment. 18
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9 Experimental study confirms that a dilute phase region exits at the middle of the
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12 riser and dense phase at the top and bottom. The numerical results obtained by revised
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14 drag coefficient model simulates the axial average pressure drop and the apparent solid
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16 volume fraction is better than the other models and its results are in better agreement with
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19 the experiment results. A wide range of experimental riser exits have been reported
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21 in the literature. They are most commonly geometries used in industrial CFBCs are
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23 right angle exit, right angle exit with baffle and blind T exit. The findings of Weinstein
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26 and Wu 20 indicated that riser exits can affect the gross-behavior of a CFB. Some riser
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28 exits appear to invoke regions near the riser wall where solids motion is tends to be
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upwards. Some riser exits may invoke cavities or regions where solids are disengaged
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33 from the main flow.
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In the FLUENT computer program that the governing equations were
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39 discretized using the finite volume technique. The discretized equations, along with the
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41 initial and boundary conditions, were solved to obtain a numerical solution. Thus in this
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43 study the model used for simulating the gas-solid flow is the Algebraic Slip Mixture
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46 (ASM) model. The ASM model solves the continuity equation for the mixture, the
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48 momentum equation for the mixture, and the volume fraction equation for the secondary
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phase, as well as an algebraic expression for the relative velocity.
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54 In order to account for the effects of turbulent fluctuations of velocities the
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56 number of terms to be modeled in the momentum equations in multiphase is large and
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this makes the modeling of turbulence in multiphase simulations extremely complex. The
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6 turbulence model used for the current simulations is based on Mixture Turbulence Model
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and
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20 ∂ r µ  ε
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26 r
27 Where the mixture density and velocity, ρ m and vm , are computed from:
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N
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r
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47 The turbulent viscosity, µt,m , is computed from:
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56 and the production of turbulence kinetic energy, Gk,m , is computed from,
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8 At the inlet, all velocities and volume fractions of both phases are
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10 specified. The pressure is not specified at the inlet because of the
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12 incompressible gas phase assumption (relatively low pressure drop system).
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15 The meshing was done using Gambit. Fine meshing was done for riser inlet and
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17 exit sections in order to analyze them in a better way. Under relaxation factors
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were tuned to achieve convergence. The convergence tolerance was set at
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22 0.001.The main parameters of the flow inside the system are calculated using
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24 an iteration calculation procedure performed by FLUENT. An iterative cycle
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starts with the introduction of the initial data and/or initial guessed values,
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29 boundary conditions, physical conditions and constants. In a second step the
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31 program calculate the velocity field from the momentum equation. Then, the
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34 mass balance equations as well as the pressure equation are solved. The
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36 coefficient of restitution quantifies the elasticity of particle collisions. It has a
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38 value of 1 for fully elastic collisions and 0 for fully inelastic collisions. It is
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41 utilized to account for the loss of energy due to collision of particles, which is
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43 not considered in the classical kinetic theory. The restitution coefficient is
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close to unity. In this study, a particle-particle restitution coefficient of 0.95,
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48 and a particle-wall restitution coefficient of 0.9 were used.
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51 Various authors 22-27 have assumed that the pressure gradient at an axial position
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54 is proportional to the amount of solid at that position. Thus, the simulation model
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56 accounts for the axial and radial distribution of voidage and velocity of the gas and solid
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phases, and for the solids volume fraction and particle size distribution of the solid phase.
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6 It is important to understand the characteristic of the inlet design because this is the
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8 area where strong momentum interaction of gas-solid flow occurs. The behavior of gas
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and solids in bed is influenced by the upward air flow which was captured using digital
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13 camera to identify the flow pattern in the riser.
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16 The simplest ASM formulation is the so-called drift flux model, in which the
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19 acceleration of the particle is given by gravity and/or a centrifugal force and the
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21 particulate relaxation time is modified to take into account the presence of other particles.
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23 From the continuity equation for the secondary phase one can obtain the volume fraction
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26 equation for the secondary phase:
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29 ∂ ∂ ∂
30 (α p ρ p ) + ( α p ρ pu m,i ) = − (α p ρ p u D p ,i )
31 ∂t ∂xi ∂xi
32 (8)
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35 At the inlet, all velocities and volume fractions of both phases are specified. The
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37 meshing was done using Gambit. Fine meshing was done for riser inlet and exit sections
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40 in order to analyze them in a better way. Under relaxation factors were tuned to achieve
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42 convergence. The main parameters of the flow inside the system are calculated using an
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iteration calculation procedure performed by FLUENT. An iterative cycle starts with the
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47 introduction of the initial data and/or initial guessed values, boundary conditions,
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49 physical conditions and constants. In a second step the program calculate the velocity
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52 field from the momentum equation. Then, the mass balance equations as well as the
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54 pressure equation are solved.
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The swirl modified RNG k–ε model and the Realizable k–ε model are used in
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6 combination with the dispersion and per phase approaches to solid phase turbulence. The
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8 simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results. The model can
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predict complex gas-solid hydrodynamics. The model results pertaining to axial voidage
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13 profile and radial particle velocity profiles are compared with the experimental results
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15 and found in agreement within high density fast fluidization regime.
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22 4. Results and Discussions
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The experimental observation has led to the understanding that the riser flow
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28 typical of the upward solids motion in the core of the riser and downward motion along
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30 the walls which is characterized as Core/Annulus, or C/A flow as observed by many
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32 7,22,28
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researchers. It was also observed that there is continuous formation and
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35 disintegration of clusters, and that clusters were formed in a variety of shapes and size.
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37 The number of clusters decreases with increasing elevation, especially near the centre
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40 of the cross-section. The cluster size near the wall decreases with increasing elevation.
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43 The conducted experimental setup to study effects of riser height and total solids
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45 inventory on the gas–solids in an ultra-tall CFB riser. The influences of total solid
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48 inventory, and fluidizing gas velocity on the axial voidage profile along the riser and
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50 solid circulation rate were investigated. Experimental results showed that when fluidizing
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gas velocity, exceeded the transport velocity, an S-shaped voidage profile characterized
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55 by fast fluidization was established in the riser. Visual observations of the flow in the
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57 riser exit suggest dunes of significant size in the riser exit connector. It appears that solids
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in the horizontal connector may settle under gravity, which means that the remainder of
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6 the suspension is accelerated. Acceleration leads to a higher solids velocity in the cyclone
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8 and improves its efficiency.
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12 The distributor designs have a strong influence on the fluidization behavior inside
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14 the riser. In this study, we have used the nozzle type distributor and bubble cap type
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16 distributor to see the effect of primary air distribution inside the riser. Palm shell powders
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19 were used as fluidizing particles. In order to observe the fluidization behavior inside the
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21 distributor section, a certain amount 600 microns palm shell powder were introduced into
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23 the riser section. The primary air could be adjusted using the bypass valve for fluidizing
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26 air. In the start of the experiment, the primary air from the blower was adjusted to a
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28 minimum.
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For observing the fluidization behavior in different distributor designs, the
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34 riser connector was fabricated of Plexiglas which can offer visual observations and
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36 digital imaging of the fluidization phenomena. The primary air flow rate was
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39 varied from a minimum measure of 0.0076 m 3 sec -1 (30 CFM) to an excess of
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41 0.0015 m 3 sec-1 (60 CFM). These variations of primary flow have resulted in
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43 fluidization behavior starting from onset of bubbling phenomena to fast
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46 fluidization regimes. These transitions of regimes have been captured using digital
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48 camera. The fluidization regimes along with their digital images using the bubble
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cap type distributor are being shown in Figure 1. The fluidization regimes along
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53 with their digital images using the nozzle type distributor are being shown in
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55 Figure 2.
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The fluidization behavior suggests that bubble cap type distributor has shown
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6 better and uniform fluidization behavior as compared to the nozzle type distributor. Also
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Guo studied Influence of a gas maldistribution of distributor design on the
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hydrodynamics of a CFB riser. Solids volume concentration and solids velocity were
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13 determined in an 8.5 m high circulating fluidized bed (CFB) riser with two types of
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15 bubble-cap distributors by applying a capacitance probe. They found that, in the bottom
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18 region of CFB, the solids volume concentration in the centre region is low, while solids
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20 concentration increases significantly towards the wall with the highest solids
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22 concentration at wall approaching the value at the packed bed.
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26 Furthermore, the solids volume concentration at high-pressure drop of a bubble
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28 cap is lower than that at low-pressure drop of a bubble cap at all lateral positions. It has
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been found that the pressure drop of the distributor has little influence on the axial
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33 apparent solids concentration in upper dilute region and on the external circulation rate.
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35 Superficial gas velocity proved to have a larger effect on descending particles at the wall
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38 and on ascending particles in the central region. Transversal particles velocities in both
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40 directions (center and wall) are relatively equivalent, with a slight difference observed at
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42 the wall and at the center.
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46 For the 600 microns palm shell waste powder the calculations for the minimum
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48 fluidisation velocity were done by determining the Archimedes and Reynolds numbers.
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Using the experimental data the minimum fluidisation velocity for 600 microns palm
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53 shell waste is found to be 0.20 m/sec. Since the cold CFB was designed to work in fast
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55 fluidization regimes so the rotameter was so selected that it could measure flow rates
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during fast fluidization regimes. This flow meter gives flow rate between 30 and 230
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CFM. The experimental study was conducted to obtain hydrodynamic properties such as
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6 fluidizing behavior, pressure drop, voidage and hydrodynamic behavior of palm shell
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8 waste. The pressure drops along the riser section were measured using the multitube
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manometer at various primary air flow rates. One can expect to have higher pressure
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13 drops at higher air flow rates as the dense gas-solids phase is well aerated and can deform
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15 easily without appreciable resistance.
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19 Figure 3 suggests that the pressure in the riser section increases as primary air
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21 flow rate is increased. Due to the increase in air flow rates, the bubbling, turbulent and
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23 fast fluidization regimes are observed. These experiments have also provided an
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26 understanding of the bubbles behavior in the distributor section. Bubbles growth was
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28 observed as they rose through the bed. Mostly the larger bubbles rose more quickly than a
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smaller. It was observed that they overtook the smaller bubbles and coalesces with them.
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33 The higher the fluidizing velocity, the larger and more the bubbles caused, because most
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35 of the excess gas flows as bubbles. The rising bubbles drew a streak of particles after
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38 them and carry some particles in their wake. This mechanism has led to the solid
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40 circulation in the riser section. The circulation of the solid is dependent on the flow rate
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42 of the primary and secondary air. The faster these supplied air velocities, the better
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45 fluidisation becomes. The pressure of fluidisation gas tends to drop when it up flow along
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47 the riser section. The pressure variation along the riser height for varying primary airflow
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rates is shown in Figure 4. On the top of the distributor plate, the air pressure is higher
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52 which pushes the solid upward.
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55 As the velocity is continuously increased, the fluidised bed changes into the
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turbulent regime and then to fast fluidisation. Bubbles usually grow as they rise through
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the bed. Mostly it occurs by larger bubbles, rising more quickly than a smaller. They
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6 overtake the smaller bubbles and coalesce with them. The higher the fluidizing velocity,
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8 the more the bubbles formation due to most of the excess gas flows as bubbles. The
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primary air flow was monitored by a rotameter which can measure the flow rate from
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13 range 30 to 230 CFM. The average air velocity corresponding to 30 CFM was 0.74 m/s
14
15 which is much higher than minimum fluidization velocity of 0.2 m/s. As the air flow rate
16
17
18 was increased, the fast fluidization regime appeared. The successful circulation of solid
19
20 particles in the riser section suggested that experimental transport velocity was adequate
21
22 to maintain a fast fluidized bed.
23
24
25
26 The axial voidage distribution in circulating fluidized beds is an important
27
28 parameter to study. It determines the pressure drop along the CFB, and is closely
29
30
31
related to the mean solid residence time within the riser. As we have discussed earlier
32
33 that in terms of solid distribution the CFB can be divided into two zones, a dense
34
35 4
zone at the bottom and a dilute zone at the top of the riser. Wang performed
36
37
38 experimental study to investigate the flow structure in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB).
39
40 They also introduced an efficient drag force model for simulating the flow structure of
41
42 the two phase flow in a riser. They found that the solid concentration decreases with the
43
44
45 increase of the superficial gas velocity, and increases with the increment of the
46
47 circulation rate at the same height position. The total pressure drop of the main bed
48
49
represents a linear relationship with the solid flux rate. In the dense phase zone, the solid
50
51
52 concentration increases linearly with the augmentation of the solid flux, however, the
53
54 change of the solid concentration is slight, even unchangeable at the up zones. A typical
55
56
57
S-shaped distribution profile was proposed earlier by Zhang, 28 however, the S-shaped
58
59
60
15
1
2
3 12,30,31
distribution was not observed by other authors. Comparing these papers, it
4
5
6 seems that the S-shaped distribution is greatly dependent on solids size distribution,
7
8 solids circulating rate and superficial velocity. Figure 5 shows the axial voidage profile
9
10
11
in the riser section for various primary air flow rates. Interestingly, we have found that
12
13 the axial voidage distribution is our study is not purely S-shaped but very close to this
14
15 shape.
16
17
18
19 Simulations were performed for the riser exits under similar conditions to
20
21 visualize the riser exits effects. The contours of velocity and velocity vectors are showed
22
23 in Figure 6 for various exit geometries. It was found that the Inward/outward
24
25
26 motion, secondary flows of the first kind, tangential acceleration/deceleration, and
27
28 cavity formation near riser exits is mechanisms can account for asymmetric flow in
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30
31
the exit region. In the upper half of the riser exit, a strong turbulence was observed for
32
33 the blind T exit, whereas a decrease is found for the right angle exit with the internal
34
35 baffle.
36
37
38 The right angle exit accumulated more solids than the long radius bend exit.
39 The blind T exit accumulated more solids than the right angle exit, and yielded a
40
41 higher solids volume fraction in the riser. Also the visual observations of the flow
42
43 in the riser exit revealed that dunes of significant size were formed in the riser exit
44
45 connector. It is due to the fact that solids in the horizontal connector have settled
46
under gravity, which means that the remainder of the suspension is accelerated.
47
48 This also highlights the phenomena of flow separations and being shown in Figure
49
50 7. The solids hold-up is greater for the exit with baffle. The blind T exit show
51
52 larger solids volume fractions along the entire riser height, and an increase of
53
54 solids volume fraction with elevation in the upper half of the riser. The effect of
55 an increase in H e appeared to be small.
56
57
58
59
60
16
1
2
3
Turbulent Kinetic Energy (k) is the turbulence kinetic energy per unit mass defined as
4
5
6
7 K = 0 .5 µ i µ i (9)
8
9
10
11 Its unit quantity is turbulent kinetic energy. For multiphase modeling, its value
12
13 corresponds to a particular phase in the multi-phase flow. The turbulence kinetic energy
14
15 was plotted for various riser exit designs as shown in Figure 8. The right angle exit,
16
17
18 blind T exit and exits with inlet or outlet baffle cause an upstream exit region of
19
20 increased solids volume fraction. Larger blind T extension heights may invoke a
21
22
greater upstream exit region, as long as they remain below a critical extension
23
24
25 height. Medium size inlet or outlet baffles may yield greater upstream exit regions
26
27 31
than large or small baffles. The contours suggest that a particle in the middle of a
28
29
30
bend exit, which experiences a radial acceleration ( u st2 / R ) equal to the radial component
31
32 of the acceleration due to gravity. This condition suggests that radial slip is minimized
33
34 15
35 around FrR = 1/ 2.
36
37
38 A radial acceleration balance suggests that inward/outward movement of
39
40 solids in a riser exit is minimized around a Froude number FrR = 1/ 2. Larger values
41
42
43 of FrR yield more movement to the outside of the riser exit and smaller values more
44
45 movement to the inside of the riser exit. The experimental results of Figure 4
46
47 revealed that the average exit velocity in the right angle exit bend is about 10 m/s
48
49
50 which results in Fr R much above the 1/ 2. So the predominant movement of the
51
52 particles is outside of the riser exit. The same trend is also visible for other exits.
53
54
However, the right angle exit with baffle show more pronounced movement outside the
55
56
57 riser exit. It looks that Blind T has little effect of the extension height as compared to
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60
17
1
2
3
right angle exit. It suggests that the slip is more prominent in the exit bends. The slip
4
5
6 distribution in the various exits is different with right angle exit and with baffle showing
7
8 greater slip than blind T exit. The riser outlets effects are studied experimentally and
9
10 32
11
computationally by Van engelandt for L and abrupt T outlets having different
12
13 extension heights and outlet surface area. In both the exit geometries, a recirculation
14
15 vortex is observed at along the wall of the riser facing the outlet and it does not affect the
16
17
18 exit flow patterns upstream the riser outlet. However, recirculation vortex shifts
19
20 downwards when the extension height is reduced in T-outlets.
21
22
23 Zhou 33 has studied a 50 KW CFB coal combustor which is simulated using CFD
24
25 approach to study air-coal two-phase hydrodynamics using energy-minimization multi
26
27
28 scale (EMMS/matrix) model. The model predicted the different aspects of
29
30 hydrodynamics inside the CFB combustor which are similar to our velocity contours.
31
32
33
34
35
36
37 5. Conclusions
38
39
40 The experimental investigation of the fluidization behavior in the cold CFB
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42 had shown that the riser flow is typical of the upward solids motion in the core of
43
44
45 the riser and downward motion along the walls. The fluidization of 1180 microns
46
47 palm shell powders that have shown the tendency to form clusters. It was also observed
48
49
that there is continuous formation and disintegration of clusters. The bubble cap type
50
51
52 distributor has shown a better and uniform fluidization behavior as compared to the
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54 nozzle type distributor. It was also found that the voidage increased with the height
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56
57
above the distributor. However this increase is more pronounced lower section of the
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18
1
2
3
riser. Interestingly, we have found that the axial voidage distribution is our studies is not
4
5
6 purely S – shaped but close to this shape. The simulation results suggest that the right
7
8 angle exit and the right angle exit with internal baffle shows an upstream exit region of
9
10
11
reduced solids volume fraction. Also the riser exits appear to invoke regions near the
12
13 riser wall where solids motion is upwards.
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15
16
17
18 6. Acknowledgements
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20
21
This paper was funded by Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR). King Abdulaziz
22
23 University, Jeddah, under grant No. (5-829-D1432). The authors, therefore, acknowledge
24
25 with thanks DSR technical and financial support.
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27
28
29 Supporting Information
30
31
32 • The fluidization behavior of the palm shell waste particles was evaluated.
33
34
35
• Cluster formation and disintegration with more solids in the annulus were
36
37 observed.
38
39 • The solids mean size in the downward flow was much bigger than the average
40
41
42 size.
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44 • Simulations suggest a Core/Annulus structure with asymmetric mass flux
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46
47
profile.
48
49 • Riser exits invoked regions near the riser wall where solids motion is
50
51 upwards.
52
53
54
55 Corresponding Authors
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57
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3
*2Dr. Iqbal Ahmed, Contact #0600-12-5614631, E-mail address:
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5
6 iqbalmouj@hotmail.com or iqbal.ahmed@petronas.com.my
7
8
9 *1
Dr. Ahmad Hussain, ahmadutm@gmail.com
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11
12
13 7. References
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16 (1) He, Y.; Deen, N. G.; Van Sint, M. A.; Kuipers, J. A. M. Gas−Solid Turbulent Flow in
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21 Particle Systems. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 2009, 48, 8091-8097.
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24 (2) Wang, F.; Marashdeh, Q.; Wang, A. and Fan, L. Electrical capacitance volume
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tomography imaging of three-dimensional flow structures and solids concentration
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31 Chem. Res., 2012, 51, 10968-10976.
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35 (3) Chen, G.; Andries, J.; Spliethoff, H. Biomass conversion into fuel gas using
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43 (4) Wang, X.; Liao, L.; Fan, B.; Jiang, F.; Xu, X.; Wang, S.; Xiao, Y. Experimental
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37 industrial applications. Journal of Pow. & Ener. 2003, 217, 9-18.
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54 (14) Breault, R. W. An analysis of clustering flows in a CFB riser. Powd. Tech. 2012,
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8 2006, 1, 18-23.
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12 (16) Taghipour, F.; Ellis, N.; Wong, C. CFD Modeling of a Two-Dimensional Fluidized-
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36 Nicklin, D. J. (Eds), Engineering Foundation: New York, 1989, 305-309.
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39 (20) Wu, S.; Alliston, M. Cold model testing of the effects of air proportions and
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44 Conference on Fluidized Bed Combustion, L.N. Rubow, G. Commonwealth (Eds.),
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50 (21) Fluent 6.3 User’s Guide, Lebanon, Fluent Inc., 2010.
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6 Heinemann: Boston, 1991.
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12 circulating fluidized bed risers-a review and reiteration. Powd. Tech. 2003, 137, 63-76.
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17 Circulating fluidized beds-diameter, solids hold-up, axial gas-mixing, and contact
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20 efficiency. Powd. Tech. 2000, 111, 132-144.
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29 (27) Monceaux, L.; Azxi, M.; Molodtsof, Y.; Large, J. F. Overall and local
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37 (28) Zhang, N.; Lu, B.; Wang, W.; Li, J. Virtual experimentation through 3D full-loop
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39 simulation of a circulating fluidized bed. Particuology. 2008, 6, 529-539.
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43 (29) Guo, Q.; Werther, J. Influence of a gas maldistribution of distributor design on the
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45 hydrodynamics of a CFB riser. Chem. Eng. & Proces. 2008, 47, 237-244.
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57 (31) Ludlow, J. C.; Panday, R and Shadle, L. J. Phase-shift method to estimate solids
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17 (33) Zhou, W.; Zhao, C. S.; Duan, L. B.; Qu, C. R.; Chen, X. P. Two-dimensional
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7. Symbols Used
4
5
6 r
a [m2/s] secondary phase acceleration
7
8
9 dp [m] diameter of fluidized particle
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11 g [m/s2] gravitational acceleration
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13
14 n [-] number of phases
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16 p [Pa] Pressure at a certain elevation
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18 u [m/s] velocity of gas
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21 ū [m/s] average velocity
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24
u st [m/s] average solid velocity near the top of the riser
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26 Um,i [m/s] ith phase velocity in mixture
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29 [m/s] mass-averaged velocity
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31 r
32
u Dk [m/s] drift velocity
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34 r
vm [m/s] average velocity of mixture
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36
37
r
vqp [m/s] relative velocity of the secondary phase (p) relative to the primary-phase (q)
38
39
40 α [-] Fractional reactant
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43 µ [ Pa.s] viscosity of the gas
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45 µm [Pa.s] viscosity of mixture
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48
ρg [kg/m3] density of gas
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50 ρm [kg/m3] density of gas
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25
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8
9 Table 1: Dimensions of various sections of the test rig
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11 Sr. Section of the Rig Details of Dimensions Materials
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14 No.
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16 1. Riser Section Height (910mm); Width (265mm); Length Plexiglas,
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18 (72mm) wood
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21 2. Inlet air distributor No. of caps(23); height of Stainless
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23 (bubble cap type) cap(70mm);external/internal steel
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25 diameters(18mm/10mm); area of plate
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28 (170mmx 510mm); air holes size (2mm/8
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30 holes per cap)
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3. Inlet air distributor Diameter of nozzle (25mm); number of Stainless
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35 (nozzle type) nozzles (6); area of plate (170mmx 510mm) steel
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37 4. Primary Cyclone Inlet Diameter (230mm); exit diameter Stainless
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40 (66mm); length (1090mm) steel
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42 5. Secondary Cyclone Inlet Diameter (150mm); exit diameter Stainless
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44 (38mm); length (555mm) steel
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47 6. L – Valve Diameter (66mm); length (430mm) Flexible
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49 pipe
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10 Primary flow Digital image Fluidization Regime
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12 (m3/sec)
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16 0.0076
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18 Onset of turbulent
19 (30 CFM)
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26 0.0012 Turbulent
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28 (45 CFM)
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0.0015
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35 (60 CFM) Fast fluidized bed
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38 Figure 1: Fluidization regimes of palm shell waste powders using bubble cap distributor
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Primary flow Digital image Fluidization Regime
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13 (m3/sec)
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19 0.009 Onset of turbulent
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22 (35 CFM)
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28 0.0012 Turbulent
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(45 CFM)
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37 0.0013-0.0015 Fast fluidized bed
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40 (50-60 CFM)
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44 Figure 2: Fluidization regimes of palm shell waste powders using nozzle type distributor
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32 Figure 3: Variation of pressure in the riser section with varying primary air flow rate.
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31 Figure 4: Pressure distribution in the riser section at different primary air flow rates
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30 Figure 5: Axial voidage distribution along the riser height for varying primary air flow
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32 rate
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Figure 6: Contours of absolute velocity (m/s) and velocity vectors for various riser exit
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10 Dune formation
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25 Figure 7: Dune formation in the riser exit
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30 Figure 8: Turbulent kinetic energy (m2/s2) for various exit design s in a CFB
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Graphical Abstract
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