Effects of using two- versus three-dimensional computational modeling of fluidized beds Part I, hydrodynamics

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2008 · Powder Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2007.07.005· OSTI ID:931149

Xie, Nan ^[1]; Battaglia, Francine ^[1]; Pannala, Sreekanth ^[2]

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1. Iowa State University
2. ORNL

Simulations of fluidized beds are performed to study and determine the effect on the use of coordinate systems and geometrical configurations to model fluidized bed reactors. Computational fluid dynamics is employed for an Eulerian-Eulerian model, which represents each phase as an interspersed continuum. The transport equation for granular temperature is solved and a hyperbolic tangent function is used to provide a smooth transition between the plastic and viscous regimes for the solid phase. The aim of the present work is to show the range of validity for employing simulations based on a 2D Cartesian coordinate system to approximate both cylindrical and rectangular fluidized beds. Three different fluidization regimes, bubbling, slugging and turbulent regimes, are investigated and the results of 2D and 3D simulations are presented for both cylindrical and rectangular domains. The results demonstrate that a 2D Cartesian system can be used to successfully simulate and predict a bubbling regime. However, caution must be exercised when using 2D Cartesian coordinates for other fluidized regimes. A budget analysis that explains all the differences in detail is presented in Part II [N. Xie, F. Battaglia, S. Pannala, Effects of Using Two-Versus Three-Dimensional Computational Modeling of Fluidized Beds: Part II, budget analysis, 182 (1) (2007) 14] to complement the hydrodynamic theory of this paper.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: FE USDOE - Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 931149
• Journal Information: Powder Technology, Vol. 182, Issue 1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
CARTESIAN COORDINATES
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
FLUID MECHANICS
FLUIDIZED BEDS
HYDRODYNAMICS
FLOW MODELS
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION
RECTANGULAR CONFIGURATION