Packed-bed letdown studies
High pressure slurry letdown valves used in direct coal liquefaction process pilot plants have historically experienced high rates of failure and are therefore considered a potential commercial reliability concern. A promising alternative to the use of more-or-less conventional valves for this service, called the packed bed letdown system, is described in the report. Slurry velocity within a bed of spheres is controlled by suitable choice of bed diameter vs length; and a novel flow control scheme is employed, consisting of the controlled addition into the bed of a second, process-derived fluid stream. Computer studies have been undertaken and a small packed bed experiment has been operated: (1) to develop packed bed system designs and predict the performance of fluid control systems for SRC-II Demonstration Plant and H-Coal Pilot Plant system; and (2) to study and, if necessary, develop pressure drop correlations for packed beds operating in two- and three-phase high throughput regimes.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- OSTI ID:
- 5383929
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/TM-8238; ON: DE82018573
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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