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Investigation of fluidization behavior of high density particle in spouted bed

using CFD-DEM coupling method

Article in Powder Technology · April 2015

DOI: 10.1016/j.powtec.2015.04.042

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 Powder Technology 280 (2015) 72–82

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Powder Technology

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/powtec

Investigation of fluidization behavior of high density particle in spouted

bed using CFD–DEM coupling method
Malin Liu ⁎, Yuanyun Wen, Rongzheng Liu, Bing Liu, Youlin Shao
Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Nuclear Energy Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: CFD–DEM coupling simulation method is used to study the fluidization behavior of particle with different
Received 4 August 2014 densities in the spouted bed. The simulation results show that the particle spouting behavior is incoherent and
Received in revised form 13 February 2015 periodic in the stable spouting state. The cycle periods of the whole bed and single particle are obtained from
Accepted 20 April 2015
particle trajectory and compared with experimental results. The relationships between the minimum spouting
Available online 27 April 2015
gas velocity, the steady pressure drop and the particle density are obtained. It can be found that the gas velocity
Keywords:
range of stable spouting state expands when the particle density increases. The dual, single and multiple
Spouted bed dominant frequencies are found in the stable spouting process of high density particle. Through detailed analysis
CFD–DEM on the mechanism of spouting dominant frequency, the flow pattern map with different superficial gas velocities
High density particle and particle densities is given and can be divided into five regions: fixed bed with internal spouting, transitional
Spout frequency stable spouting state with dual dominant frequency, main stable spouting state with single dominant frequency,
Flow pattern map transitional stable spouting state with multiple dominant frequency, and unstable spouting state. The stable
spouting gas velocity is influenced by the particle density, while the dominant frequency of the particle spouting
process will keep invariant even if the particle density increases, as long as Ug/Ums is not changed. The influence of
particle density on the particle residence time distribution in the spout region, which can be used to characterize
the gas solid contact efficiency, is also discussed based on simulation results.
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction on the fluidization behavior is important and should be investigated

Gas–solid fluidized bed can achieve a high rate of mass and heat
transfer and is suitable for particle uniform mixing and continuous
mass production. It has been widely used in various process industries.
As a kind of special fluidized bed which was suitable to treat Geldart
D-type particles, spouted bed has been applied in many areas such as
particle coating, drying and surface modification since it was invented
in 1955 [1]. Efficiency of spouted bed depends on the efficiency of
gas–solid mixing and interaction. The enhancement of the gas turbu-
lence and the fluctuation intensity of the solid motion will have a signif-
icant influence on the efficiency. The fluidized bed-chemical vapor
deposition (FB-CVD) technique can be used for the preparation of
nuclear fuel UO2 coated particles and it is the key technology for the
guarantee of nuclear reactor safety [2]. The contact efficiency of gas
and solid phase in the coating process in spouted bed can be seriously
influenced by unstable spouting state and particle agglomeration. The
particle density of nuclear fuel UO2 (ρp ~ 10.80 g/cm3) is much larger
than that of general particles used in chemical engineering, such as
glass beads (GB, ρp ~ 2.60 g/cm3), thus the impact of particle density
⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 10 89796092; fax: +86 10 69771464.
E-mail address: liumalin@tsinghua.edu.cn (M. Liu).
systematically.
There have been lots of literature reports on the study of spouted
bed on both experimental and theoretical aspects [3], and related
monographs have also been published [4,5], while most of which main-
ly focus on the low density particle (ρp b 3.0 g/cm3). For example, Zhou
et al. [6] gave a systematic summarization on the spout fluidizing behav-
ior of different particles such as silica gel beads, polymers, grain, glass
beads (GB), pulverized coal, activated carbon and ceramic particles. 25
formulas for calculating the minimum spouting gas velocity were
obtained with particle density in the range of 0.40–2.98 g/m3.
There are also a few reports on the study of fluidization behavior of
high density particles. Zhou et al. [6] studied the minimum spouting
gas velocity, gas pressure drop, fountain height and gas velocity distri-
bution of ZrO2 particle (ρp = 5.6 g/cm3) experimentally and hydrody-
namic equations were established, but detailed analysis on the effects
of particle density on particle fluidization behavior was not given for
lack of systematic numerical simulation. Sari [7] investigated the fluidi-
zation behavior of high density particles (ZrO2, dp = 0.5, 1 mm) using
high speed camera in spouted bed with the diameter of 15 mm and
the taper angle of 30°, 45° and 60°. The investigation indicated that
after the beginning of external spouting, the intermittent spouting
area exists in the range of Ums–1.2Ums and steady spouting state exists
in the range of 1.2Ums–2.1Ums. Then jet spouting region appeared as

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2015.04.042
0032-5910/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
 M. Liu et al. / Powder Technology 280 (2015) 72–82 73

Ug increased continuously, which shows different flow pattern transi-
tion from low density particle. Alekhine [8] made an investigation on
the brass particles (ρp = 8.9 g/cm3) and developed the flow pattern
transition rules of high density particles. Saayman [9] paid attention to
high density particle (FeSi, ρp = 6.69 g/cm3) and pointed out that the
reaction performance increases as the bubble become smaller in size
in the fluidizing process of high density particle. In the research by
Pannala [10], the fluidizing process of ZrO2 particle was numerically
simulated, and it is pointed out that periodic particle entrainment exists
in the spouting process. It can be found that the above research mainly
focus on one kind of high density particles. So far no detailed studies on
the effects of high density particles on the spouting process were
reported.
The numerical simulation methods for studying particle fluidization
in the gas–solid system generally include the Euler–Euler method based
on the Two-Fluid model and the Euler–Lagrange method based on
CFD–DEM (Computational Fluid Dynamics–Discrete Element Model)
[11]. The hydrodynamic behavior of gas–solid phase in spouted bed
was numerically simulated with the Two-Fluid model by Hosseini
[12]. The particle concentration distribution and velocity field distribu-
tion in the jetting region, annulus region and fountain region was
given. DEM has been widely used for providing the detailed information
on particle scale [13,14]. Salikov [15] has investigated the Al2O3 particle
(ρp = 1.04 g/cm3) dynamics in a prismatic spouted bed using CFD–DEM
model. Zhao [16] carried out numerical CFD–DEM simulation study on
the flow and mixing behavior in the 2-dimensional riser and downer,
and the transient behavior of particle agglomeration was given. Zhong
[17] developed the CFD–DEM method and applied it to the study of
the particle mixing behavior in the spout-fluid bed. Also, the fluidization
behavior of glass beads in the two-dimensional spouted bed was nu-
merically simulated with CFD–DEM method by Zhao [18]. Especially,
CFD–DEM coupling method was used in the numerical simulation of
film coating process in a novel rotating fluidized bed by using an
assumption that a particle was coated only when a particle existed
within a spray zone [19]. It can be found that CFD–DEM simulation
can give more detailed information about particle fluidization behavior.
From the above, FB-CVD is the key technology in the fabrication of
nuclear fuel coated particles, and particle fluidization behavior is impor-
tant for coating layer preparation [20]. The particle density in spouted
bed is generally less than 3.0 g/cm3, while particle density in the nuclear
fuel coating process can be more than 10.0 g/cm3. In order to study the
impact of particle density on the fluidization behavior of particles in
spouted bed, CFD–DEM coupling method was used to simulate the flu-
idization behavior of particles with different densities (GB: 2.60 g/cm3,
ZrO2: 5.60 g/cm3, Fe: 7.80 g/cm3, UO2: 10.80 g/cm3) in this paper. The
effects of the particle density on the spouting process are analyzed,
among which the influences of the particle density on the minimum
spouting gas velocity, pressure drop, spout dominant frequency, particle
entrainment and gas–solid contact efficiency will be paid more atten-
tion here.
2. Numerical simulation
The tangential force is limited by the Coulomb friction. This is the limit-
ing friction that can be withstood by the contact before sliding of one
particle over the other commences. Considering the above physical
mechanisms, the Hertz–Mindlin (H–M) model, which is a kind of the
soft sphere models, is chosen to describe the collision between particles
as shown in Table 1.
In Table 1, Yeq, Req, meq, δ, Sn, St, μs, and μr are the equivalent Young's
modulus, the equivalent radius, the equivalent mass, the particle over-
lap, the normal stiffness, the tangential stiffness, the coefficient of
sliding friction and the coefficient of rolling friction respectively. β is
the damping factor, which is a function of the restitution coefficient e.
The restitution coefficient can be determined experimentally. A detailed
description of the model parameters is omitted here and can be found in
any literatures describing the Hertz–Mindlin model.
2.2. CFD–DEM method
The gas–solid two phase flow can be numerically simulated by DEM
model coupling with CFD solutions. In the CFD–DEM coupling model,
the gas flow is described by the local averaged Navier–Stokes equations,
while the motion of particles can be obtained by Newton second law
and rotation equation. The detailed coupling principle of CFD–DEM
model can be found in the related literature [13,14,17]. The gas phase
hydrodynamics are described with the continuity equation and the
momentum conservation equation as follows.
Mass conservation equation (continuity equation) for fluid phase g:
∂


ε g ρg þ ∇  ε g ρg ug ¼ 0: ð1Þ
∂t
Momentum conservation equation (movement equation) for fluid
phase g:
∂

  
ε g ρg ug þ ∇  ε g ρg ug ug ¼ −εg ∇P g −Fp‐g þ ∇  ε g τg þ εg ρg g
∂t
ð2Þ
in which Pg is the fluid phase pressure, ug is the fluid velocity, εg is the
void fraction, τg is the gas-phase stress tensor and ρg is the fluid density.
Fp-g is the source term for momentum, representing the interaction
between particle and fluid. The k–ε mixture turbulence model is used
for calculating the gas phase turbulence. The Di Felice model is chosen
to characterize the coupling effect of gas–solid phase, mainly referring
to the drag force between gas and particles. Then for particle i, the trans-
lational motion function:
dVi X i 
n

mi ¼ FDrag;i þ mi g þ Fn;i j þ Ft;i j ð3Þ
dt j¼1

2.1. Mathematical modeling

Table 1
The particle equation and relevant physics used in H–M model.
DEM can simulate the movement behavior of single particle and the
Variable Equations
collision process between particles, and the velocity and position of par-
ticles at any time can be obtained. The heart of the method is the contact For normal forces
Normal spring force 3 pffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
force model. When two particles collide, they actually deform. However, Fn s ¼ −kn δ2n ; kn ¼ 43 Y eq Req
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 1
in the soft sphere model, the overlap displacement is assumed instead Normal damping force d
Fn ¼ −2β 54 kn meq δn 4 vrel β ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
n ;
lne
ln2 eþπ 2
of considering deformation. The larger the displacement, the larger  s
For tangential forces d
the repulsive force. In such a particle–particle interaction, the particles Ft ¼ Ft þ Ft ; if j Ft j ≤μ s j Fn j , in which
−μ s Fn ; if j Ft jNμ s j Fn j
pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
lose kinetic energy. The normal force has a spring to provide the repul- Tangential spring forces Ft s ¼ −St δt ; St ¼ 8Geq Req δn
qffiffi pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
sive force and a dashpot to provide the inelasticity in the collision. The Tangential damping force d
Ft ¼ −2 56 β St meq vrel β ¼ pffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
t ;
ln e
2
tangential force has a spring that models tangential elastic deformation ln eþπ 2
Rolling friction torque τr = − μrFnRiωi
of the contacting surfaces and a dashpot to model plastic deformation.
74 M. Liu et al. / Powder Technology 280 (2015) 72–82

the rotation motion function:

dωi X i  
n
Ii ¼ τt;i j þ τr;i j ð4Þ
dt j¼1

in which I is the particle rotational inertia, ω is the rotation velocity, and

τt and τr are the tangential torque and rolling friction torque respectively.
The CFD–DEM simulation scheme is given in Fig. 1 to show the sim-
ulation process briefly. First, the flow field of the gas phase is resolved by
the CFD solver. When a stable solution is obtained, the flow field is
passed to the coupling module, where the relative velocity between
each particle and the surrounding gas is calculated in order to obtain
the drag force. The drag force acting on each particle is then passed to
the DEM solver which will update the particle positions in a loop, until
the end of the CFD time step is reached. The new particle positions are
transferred back to the coupling module, which will update the fluid
cell porosities and calculate the momentum sink term for each mesh
cell. The CFD solver iterates over the next time step until the flow field
again converges to a stable solution. The commercial software EDEM
coupled with Fluent which have been validated in literature [21] are
used here.

2.3. Simulation parameters

The configuration of the 2-dimensional spouted bed is shown in

Fig. 2. The geometric parameters include inverted cone angle (γ), nozzle
size (D0), bottom width (Di), bed width (Dc), bed thickness (L). The par-
ticle parameters include packed height (H0), particle diameter (dp), and
particle density (ρp). The geometric and simulation parameters are
shown in Table 2. The velocity boundary condition is set at the gas
inlet. The free pressure boundary condition is used for the gas outlet. Fig. 2. The geometric parameters of the 2-dimensional spouted bed.
The no-slip boundary condition is used for the walls. The inlet gas veloc-
ity Uin is between 0 and 90 m/s (corresponding superficial gas velocity
Ug ~ 0–5.4 m/s).
the ZrO2 particle spouting process with the inlet gas velocity of 45 m/s. It
3. Results and discussion can be seen that the particle transport in the jetting region is in the form
of cluster, which is generated around the nozzle, namely the bottom of
3.1. Stable spouting state

In the stable spouting state, it can be found clearly that the periodic
particle entrainment phenomena exist as shown in Fig. 3, which shows Table 2
Geometric and simulation parameters.

Parameter Value

Geometry parameters
Spout nozzle diameter (Do) 9 mm
Inverted cone angle (γ) 60
Bottom width (Di) 15 mm
Bed width (Dc) 150 mm
Bed thickness (L) 15 mm

Gas properties
Density (ρg) 1.225 g/cm3
Viscosity (μ) 1.72 × 10−5 Pa s

Particle properties
Particle loading (H0) 100 mm
Diameter (dp) 2 mm
Density (ρp) GB: 2.60 g/cm3, ZrO2: 5.60 g/cm3,
Fe: 7.80 g/cm3, UO2: 10.80 g/cm3

Simulation parameters
Poisson's ratio, – 0.25
Young's modulus, N m−2 108
Restitution coefficient, – 0.5
Sliding Friction coefficient, – 0.5
Rolling friction coefficient, – 10−5
CFD time step (Δt), s 10−5
DEM time step (Δt), s 10−6
CFD mesh, – 300 × 50
Fig. 1. The CFD–DEM simulation scheme.
 M. Liu et al. / Powder Technology 280 (2015) 72–82 75

1.38s 1.43s 1.48s 1.52s 1.57s 1.76s

Fig. 3. The periodical change of particle movement in the spouting process.

the jetting region. The volume and density of particle cluster increase as
the gas rises in spouted bed for gathering particles from the annulus
region continuously. The particle cluster becomes a larger agglomera-
tion when it arrives at the export of the jetting region. Then the particle
agglomeration is blown apart by the gas flow, which is called fountain
region, and particles scatter over the top of the annulus region. The
interspaces between the two particle clusters consists of relatively
dilute phase. The process mentioned above is then repeated periodical-
ly. The global cycle period can be obtained from the simulation results
and the value is around 190 ms (1.38 s–1.57 s–1.76 s).
Zhao [18,22] and his colleagues have given a detailed analysis on the
spouting process of glass beads, which can be used for verifying the
reliability of the simulation method in this paper. In their research
[23], the global cycle period is around 160 ms with the packed height
of 100 mm and the inlet gas velocity is 26.0 m/s (Ug = 1.58 m/s),
which is close to our simulation results (165 ms) in the glass bead
spouting process. For the same glass bead system, Hosseini [24] used
the Euler–Euler model to simulate the particle spouting process with
the inlet gas velocity of 32.5 m/s (Ug = 1.95 m/s), and the results
show that the maximum velocity of particles in vertical direction is
around 1.38 m/s. From our simulation results, the maximum velocity
of particles in vertical direction is 1.42 m/s under the same conditions.
It can be found that the present study agrees well with the experimental
and simulation results in the previous reports, so the models and
parameters used in this paper are reliable.
3.2. Particle cycle time
The trajectory of single particle and the detailed information of the
particle movement behavior can be obtained from the CFD–DEM simu-
lation results. The typical schematic diagram of the particle trajectory of
ZrO2 particle with inlet gas velocity of 45 m/s is shown in Fig. 4. It can be
found that a single particle finished 4.65 cycles within 4 s, namely that
the cycle period of a single particle is about 860 ms, which is 4.5 times
of the whole bed cycle period of 190 ms as mentioned above. Further-
more, it can be found that the particle residence time in the jetting
region is around 110 ms in one cycle period, which means that 87% of
particle residence time is in the annulus region and fountain region.
The results can be helpful for understanding the mechanism of particle
spouting coating process. The traditional spouted bed with single nozzle
should be modified for improving gas solid contact efficiency, because
the gas, especially reactive gas mainly exists in the jetting region and
only little gas can disperse into the annulus region. In this case, most
reactive gas will escape from the jetting region before completely
contacting with particles, resulting in a low coating efficiency and low
yield of coated particle.
3.3. Minimum spouting gas velocity
The minimum spouting gas velocity (Ums) is the minimum gas
velocity to maintain the stable spouting state in spouted bed, which is

Fig. 4. The particle movement trajectory in the spouting process (1 s–5s, ZrO2).
76 M. Liu et al. / Powder Technology 280 (2015) 72–82

represented by the minimum superficial gas velocity in this paper. For

the particle coating process, in order to obtain the uniform coating
thickness and properties, the superficial gas velocity should be larger
than minimum spouting gas velocity, for obtaining good mixing of the
whole bed and sufficient gas–solid contact efficiency. Thus, it is neces-
sary to investigate the impact of particle density on the minimum
spouting gas velocity. The simulation results showed that the pressure
drop of four kinds of particles with different densities changed with
the superficial gas velocity, as shown in Fig. 5. Then the minimum
spouting gas velocity (Ums) and pressure drop (ΔP) at stable spouting
state can be obtained.
As can be seen from Fig. 5, the minimum spouting gas velocity (Ums)
and pressure drop (ΔP) is different for particles with different density,
both of them increase rapidly with the particle density. There are
many literature reports on the study of the minimum spouting gas ve-
locity and pressure drop at stable spouting state and different calcula-
tion equations are given. Zhong et al. [25] made an investigation on
the particle spouting process with densities of 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and
2.503 g/cm3, and indicated that the minimum spouting gas velocity
can be calculated as follows:

!0:23  !0:67
3:48 0:3 
ds H0 Dc 1:98
ρp −ρg
U ms ¼ 0:40 ð5Þ
Dc Dc Di ρg

in which SI unit system is used for all variables. Here the effect of parti-
cle density is focused on, so the above equation can be simplified as
follows:

U ms ¼ k1 ρp 0:67 ð6Þ

in which k1 is the parameter related to the geometric parameters of

spouted bed, particle diameter and particle packed height, which re-
mains invariant and can be regarded as a constant here. The relationship
between the minimum spouting gas velocity and the particle density
can be obtained from Fig. 4. It can be found that the minimum spouting
gas velocity is proportional to ρ0.67
p from CFD–DEM simulation results as
shown in Fig. 6, which is in good agreement with the literature. Also the
value of k1 can be calculated from the Eq. (5) and it is about 0.35. The
simulation result of k1 is 0.38 according to Fig. 6, which is also close to
Eq. (5). Similarly, the pressure drop at stable spouting state is found to
be proportional to ρ1.20 p as can be seen from Fig. 6. Namely that ΔP = Fig. 6. The minimum spouting velocity (a) and pressure drop at stable spouting state (b) vs
k 2 ρ1.20
p , k 2 is also a constant parameter related to the geometric particle density.

parameters of spouted bed, particle diameter and particle packed

height. The simulation result of k2 is about 0.52 according to Fig. 6.

3.4. Stable spouting region

As can be seen from Fig. 5, the particle stable spouting regions of dif-
ferent densities are between the dashed lines. The stable spouting range
of GB particle, ZrO2 particle, Fe particle and UO2 particle is about 0.72–
1.85 m/s, 1.08–2.5 m/s, 1.44–3.67 m/s, and 1.8–4.5 m/s respectively. It
can be seen that the stable spouting range expands with the particle den-
sity increasing, which means that there is a larger velocity adjust range
that can be chosen from initial spouting to the end of stable spouting
state. This is helpful for the practical application of high density particle
coating process, because there will be more choice to set the ratio of re-
active gas and fluidizing gas for maintaining the stable spouting state.

3.5. Spout dominant frequency

From the simulation results, it can be found that the particle average
Fig. 5. Pressure drop vs superficial gas velocity. velocity in vertical (z-) direction (up,z) changing with time indicates a
 M. Liu et al. / Powder Technology 280 (2015) 72–82 77

good periodicity. The periodicity of the particle average velocity in ver- (a) Ug=1.875 Ums
tical (z-) direction is the same as the periodicity of the pressure in the
jetting region, as validated in the experimental data [23]. up,z can be ob-
tained from the CFD–DEM simulation results, which is suitable to char-
acterize the periodic pattern of particle spouting. up,z of Fe particle
changing with time under different superficial gas velocities (Ug) is
shown in Fig. 7.
Frequency domain analysis of a sampled signal can be performed
using discrete Fourier transform (DFT) which indicates the frequen-
cy content of a discrete time signal. Power spectral density (PSD) dis-
tribution can be used for the analysis on the frequency domain
characteristics of time domain signal. PSD represents the energy dis-
tribution of signal in frequency domain, which is suitable for investi-
gating the fluctuation characteristics and periodicity of particle
velocity [26,27]. Fig. 8 shows the power spectral density distribution
of the time domain signal of particle instantaneous velocity in verti-
cal direction (up,z) under different gas velocity. As can be seen from
the simulation results, the dual dominant frequency (2.87 Hz,
5.77 Hz) exists when the gas velocity is slightly larger than the min-
imum spouting gas velocity (Ums). The phenomenon is similar with
the experimental study in literature reports [28]. Zhou [28] did ex-
periment with the ZrO2 particle (d = 0.5 mm), and he found that (b) Ug=2.5 Ums
the dual dominant frequency appeared when Ug/Ums is around 1.2.
The dual dominant frequency appeared when Ug was slightly larger
than Ums, but disappeared when the gas velocity increased continu-
ously in experiments [28]. Because the particle loading and particle
diameter in experiments [28] are not the same with the present sim-
ulation, only qualitatively comparison can be given, but the origina-
tion mechanism of the dual dominant frequency is the same. The
single dominant frequency of 2.5Ums is 5.3 Hz in Fig. 8b. When the
gas velocity is continuously increasing, the dominant frequency
changes to multiple dominant frequencies, as shown in Fig. 7c,
which means the periodicity of particle velocity disappears.
It is noteworthy that dual dominant frequency exists only when the
particle density is high enough. Dual dominant frequency also exists for
ZrO2 and UO2 particle, but it cannot be easily found in the spouting pro-
cess of glass beads, as can be seen from Fig. 9. The simulation results
show that only the single dominant frequency can be found in the stable
spouting state of glass beads.
The origination mechanism of dual dominant frequency can be ex-
plained as in Fig. 10a. There are two small gas bubbles in the jetting re-
gion simultaneously when the gas velocity (Ug) is slightly larger than
the minimum spouting gas velocity (Ums). In this case, the high particle
density and the small particle entrainment velocity make that two inco- (c) Ug=3.3Ums
herent particle acceleration process exist in the jetting region at one
spout cycle, resulting in dual dominant frequency, while this phenome-
non cannot be easily found for low density particles such as polymer
sphere and glass beads. The velocity range of dual dominant frequency
will also expand when the particle density is increased. When the gas
velocity is increased continuously, there is only one gas bubble in the
jetting region, so there is only one particle acceleration process in a
spout cycle, resulting in single dominant frequency, as shown in
Fig. 10b. In this case, only one kind of particle cluster exists and the fre-
quency domain signal is strong which means a good periodicity, as
shown in Fig. 8b.
If the gas velocity is increased continuously, the incoherent spouting
will transfer into coherent spouting. The gas is coherent in the jetting re-
gion, so the periodicity is not so clear in this spout state, as shown in
Fig. 10c. In this situation, the particle cluster cannot exist stably, so the
significant dominant frequency cannot be maintained. The periodicity
disappears gradually and the strength of frequency domain signal de-
creases. In the periodical spout process, the particle rising in the jetting
region and falling in the annular region is alternate and not synchro-
nous. When the gas velocity is increased, the periodicity disappears.
The rising velocity of particle in jetting region is increased, but the fall- Fig. 7. Typical curve of up,z vs time at different superficial gas velocities (Fe particle).
ing velocity of particle in the annular region is increased synchronously,
78 M. Liu et al. / Powder Technology 280 (2015) 72–82

a) Ug=1.875 Ums a) ZrO2 (Ug=1.67 Ums)

b) Ug=2.5 Ums b) UO2 (Ug=1.9 Ums)

Fig. 9. Dual dominant frequency in the spouting process of ZrO2 and UO2 particle.
c) Ug=3.3Ums
so the average value of particle velocity of the whole bed is decreased on
the contrary, as shown in Fig. 7.
By continuously increasing the gas velocity, the particle spouting is
changed to unstable state and the particle entrainment is irregular.
Therefore, according to a series of the simulation results, the relation-
ship between the particle spouting process under different particle
densities and gas velocities can be summarized in a flow pattern map,
which can be divided into five regions: fixed bed with internal spouting,
transitional stable spouting state with dual dominant frequency, main
stable spouting state with single dominant frequency, transitional stable
spouting state with multiple dominant frequency, and unstable
spouting state, as shown in Fig. 11. It can be found that there are two
transitional areas between static bed (internal spouting), unstable
spouting state and stable spouting state when the particle density is
high enough. It will be helpful to understand how to maintain the stable
spouting state in practical fluidization process of high density particles.

3.6. The effect of particle density on spout dominant frequency

From the simulation results, it can be found that the dominant fre-
Fig. 8. Typical PSD curve of up,z (Fe particle). quency of the particle spouting will remain invariant (5.3 Hz) in the
 M. Liu et al. / Powder Technology 280 (2015) 72–82 79

a) Dual dominant frequency, Ug=1.875 Ums

b) Single dominant frequency, Ug=2.5 Ums

c) Multiple dominant frequency, Ug=3.3Ums

Fig. 10. Different particle behavior (left) and gas holdup profiles (right) at different kinds of dominant frequency in the spouting process of high density particle.
80 M. Liu et al. / Powder Technology 280 (2015) 72–82
Fig. 11. Flow pattern map of different particle densities and superficial gas velocities.
range of stable spouting even if the particle density increases, as long as
Ug/Ums remains unchanged, as shown in Fig. 12. Similar results have
been found in experiments with different particle loading heights [28].
It was found that the spouting dominant frequency would remain in-
variant in the range of stable spouting when the particle loading
increases, as long as Ug/Ums was unchanged. It can be explained as
follows. The spout dominant frequency is determined by the particle
Fig. 12. The power spectral density of up,z of different density particle at Ug = 2.5Ums.
movement process. When the particle density increases, the minimum
spouting gas velocity is increased as a result. Then if the spout gas veloc-
ity increases by the same proportion, the particle spouting height
remains unchanged, thus the particle acceleration process and the
deceleration process in one spout cycle are almost consistent. The vari-
ety of trends of particle velocity is analogous, resulting in the same
particle periodic entrainment frequency, which is around 5.3 Hz, as
shown in Fig. 12. But the spout dominant frequency decreases signifi-
cantly with the particle density increasing if only Ug remains un-
changed, because the particle acceleration process is limited by the
high density particle.
3.7. The effect of particle density on gas–solid contact efficiency
In order to analyze its advantages and disadvantages of the particle
fluidizing behavior on the particle coating process, many criteria have
been proposed such as the particle circulation time, the particle
spouting height and the cycle number of single particle [29]. Recently,
the coupled CFD–DEM approach was used to model fluidized bed
spray coating system at an individual particle level [30]. The trajectory
and more detailed information of each single particle can be obtained
from CFD–DEM simulation results. Therefore, the particle residence
time distribution (RTD) in the effective gas deposition region can be
used as a more accurate description of the gas–solid contact efficiency.
For a given time, if the residence time of all the particles in the effective
deposition region is consistent, the materials will deposit on the surface
of all particles uniformly.
How to define the effective gas deposition region is still an open
question, here the jetting region was used as assumption analogy to
the spraying coating simulation for simplification [30]. The residence
 M. Liu et al. / Powder Technology 280 (2015) 72–82 81

4. Conclusions

The spouting processes of different density particles are studied

using the CFD–DEM coupling method. The particle cycle time, spout
behavior, spout dominant frequency and gas–solid contact efficiency
are discussed. Some conclusions can be drawn out as follows.

1) The periodic and incoherent spouting behavior was found in the

particle spouting process. The detailed information such as the
cycle period of the whole bed and single particle can be obtained
using the CFD–DEM simulation method. The cycle period of single
particle is much longer than the cycle period of the whole bed in
stable spouting state.
2) The minimum spouting gas velocity and pressure drop increases
rapidly with the particle density. The minimum spouting gas veloc-
ity and the steady pressure drop is proportional to ρ0.67 p and ρ1.2
p
respectively.
3) The gas velocity range of stable spouting state increases with the
particle density increasing, which is helpful for choosing the suitable
gas velocity to maintain the stable spouting state in the real coating
Fig. 13. The residence time distribution of different density particle at the same superficial
gas velocity. process.
4) The flow pattern map under different densities and different gas
velocities is obtained and can be divided into five regions: fixed
bed with internal spouting, transitional stable spouting state with
time distribution of particles with different densities at the same gas
dual dominant frequency, main stable spouting state with single
velocity within the spouting time of 2.5 s is then obtained, as shown
dominant frequency, transitional stable spouting state with multiple
in Fig. 13. It can be seen that the average residence time decreases
dominant frequency, and unstable spouting state. Dual dominant
with the particle density (Fe: taverage = 0.46 s, UO2: taverage = 0.35 s)
frequency exists in the spouted bed with high density particle. The
and the residence time distribution broadens, which means an uneven
mechanism is owned to the existence of two gas bubbles in the
particle coating when the superficial gas velocity is not changed.
incoherent jetting region simultaneously.
The particle residence time distribution in the effective deposition
5) Dominant frequency and the cycle period of the particle spouting
region of different density particles at Ug/Ums = 2.5 within the spouting
process will keep invariant in the stable spouting state when the
time of 2.5 s is obtained from simulation results, as shown in Fig. 14. It
particle density increases, as long as Ug/Ums remains unchanged.
can be found that the particle residence time distribution of different
6) The average residence time decreases when the particle density
densities in the effective deposition region is almost the same
increases and the superficial gas velocity remains unchanged, but
(taverage = 0.35 s) at the spout gas velocity of 2.5Ums, which agrees
the average residence time do not change even the particle density
with the spout dominant frequency, as shown in Fig. 12. In the future
increases, as long as Ug/Ums remains unchanged.
work, the residence time distribution will be used for investigating the
7) The CFD–DEM coupling method and the particle residence time
coating efficiency and quality in FB-CVD process in different configura-
distribution in the effective deposition region can be used for inves-
tions of spout reactors further.
tigating the coating efficiency and quality in FB-CVD process in
different configurations of spout reactors further.

Notations
γ cone included angle, –
L bed thickness, m
Do inlet diameter, m
Di diameter of the bed bottom, m
Dc column diameter, m
Hc height of conical part, m
Ho static bed height, m
dp particle diameter, m
ρp particle density, kg/m3
ρg fluid density, kg/m3
Re Reynolds number, –
Ums minimum spout velocity, m/s
Ug superficial gas velocity, m/s
Uin inlet gas velocity, m/s
up,z particle velocity in z-direction, m/s
ΔP pressure drop at stable spouting state, Pa
Yeq the equivalent Young's Modulus, –
Req the equivalent particle radius, –
meq the equivalent mass, –
δ the particle overlap, –
Sn the normal stiffness, –
Fig. 14. The residence time distribution of different density particle at Ug = 2.5Ums. St the tangential stiffness, –
82 M. Liu et al. / Powder Technology 280 (2015) 72–82
μs the coefficient of sliding friction, –
μr the coefficient of rolling friction, –
β the damping factor, –
e the restitution coefficient, –
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the National Natural Science Foun-
dation of China (21306097), Tsinghua University Initiative Scientific
Research Program (2011Z02159), the Specialized Research Fund for
the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (20110002120023), and
Higher Education Young Elite Teacher Project of Beijing (YETP0155)
for the financial support provided.
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