Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation of Gas–Solid Hydrodynamics in a Bubbling Fluidized-Bed Reactor: Effects of Air Distributor, Viscous and Drag Models

Processes

Salman Masoudi Soltani¹  Kiman Silas²  WanAzlina Wan Ab Karim Ghani²  Ramin Khezri²  DayangRadiah Awang Biak²  Shiva Rezaei Motlagh²  Robiah Yunus²  Muhammad Shahbaz³ 

[1] Department of Chemical Engineering, Brunel University London, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, UK;Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia;Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation, Doha 34110, Qatar;

关键词: gasification;    fluidized bed;    CFD;    hydrodynamics;    multiphase flow;   

DOI  :  10.3390/pr7080524

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

In this work, we employed a computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based model with a Eulerian multiphase approach to simulate the fluidization hydrodynamics in biomass gasification processes. Air was used as the gasifying/fluidizing agent and entered the gasifier at the bottom which subsequently fluidized the solid particles inside the reactor column. The momentum exchange related to the gas-phase was simulated by considering various viscous models (i.e., laminar and turbulence models of the re-normalisation group (RNG), k-ε and k-ω). The pressure drop gradient obtained by employing each viscous model was plotted for different superficial velocities and compared with the experimental data for validation. The turbulent model of RNG k-Ɛ was found to best represent the actual process. We also studied the effect of air distributor plates with different pore diameters (2, 3 and 5 mm) on the momentum of the fluidizing fluid. The plate with 3-mm pores showed larger turbulent viscosities above the surface. The effects of drag models (Syamlal−O’Brien, Gidaspow and energy minimum multi-scale method (EMMS) on the bed’s pressure drop as well as on the volume fractions of the solid particles were investigated. The Syamlal−O’Brien model was found to forecast bed pressure drops most consistently, with the pressure drops recorded throughout the experimental process. The formation of bubbles and their motion along the gasifier height in the presence of the turbulent flow was seen to follow a different pattern from with the laminar flow.

【 授权许可】

Unknown