Experimental and Numerical Study of Hydrodynamics with Heat Transfer in a Gas−Solid Fluidized-Bed Reactor at Different Particle Sizes

Abstract

In this research, particle size effect on heat transfer and hydrodynamics of a nonreactive gas−solid fluidized-bed reactor were studied experimentally and computationally. A multifluid Eulerian model incorporating the kinetic theory for solid particles was applied to simulate the unsteady-state behavior of this reactor and momentum exchange coefficients were calculated by using the Syamlal−O’Brien drag functions. Simulation results were compared with the experimental data to validate the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. Pressure drops and temperature distribution predicted by the simulations at different particle sizes were in good agreement with experimental measurements at superficial gas velocity higher than the minimum fluidization velocity. Simulation results also indicated that small bubbles were produced at the bottom of the bed. These bubbles collided with each other as they moved upward forming larger bubbles. The influence of solid particles size on the gas temperature was studied. The results indicated that, for smaller particle size, due to a higher heat-transfer coefficient between the gas and solid phases, solid-phase temperature increases and mean gas temperature decrease, rapidly. Furthermore, this comparison showed that the model can predict hydrodynamic and heat-transfer behavior of gas−solid fluidized-bed reactors reasonably well.