Hydrodynamics of erosion of heat exchanger tubes in fluidized bed combustors

Abstract

Abstract The hydrodynamics of fluidization for two thin “two‐dimensional” fluidized beds, one containing a centrally located rectangular obstacle and the other containing three square tubes roughly approximating a portion of a fluidized bed combustor (FBC), was solved using the FLUFIX/MOD2 computer program. The monolayer energy dissipation erosion model extended to include solids viscous stress was compared with the Finnie erosion model. The material properties of the eroding surface are introduced through the hardness for both erosion models. Hydrodynamic and erosion convergence studies were performed for the first bed. Computed erosion rates from the monolayer energy dissipation erosion model compare more favorably for both beds with available erosion data than those from the Finnie erosion model.