Computational study of the bubbling-to-slugging transition in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed

Journal Article · 30 August 2016 · Chemical Engineering Journal

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2016.08.113 · OSTI ID:1461069

Ramirez, Emilio  ^[1]; Finney, Charles E. A.  ^[2]; Pannala, Sreekanth ^[3]; Daw, C. Stuart  ^[2]; Halow, Jack ^[4]; Xiong, Qingang ^[5]

---

1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
3. Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation Americas, Sugar Land, TX (United States)
4. Separation Design Group, Waynesburg, PA (United States)
5. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US LLC, Auburn Hills, MI (United States)

Here, we report results from a computational study of the transition from bubbling to slugging in a laboratory-scale fluidized-bed reactor with Geldart Group B glass particles. For simulating the three-dimensional fluidized-bed hydrodynamics, we employ MFiX, a widely studied multi-phase flow simulation tool, that uses a two-fluid Eulerian-Eulerian approximation of the particle and gas dynamics over a range of gas flows. We also utilize a previously published algorithm to generate bubble statistics that can be correlated with pressure fluctuations to reveal previously unreported details about the stages through which the hydrodynamics progress during the bubbling-to-slugging transition. We expect this new information will lead to improved approaches for on-line reactor diagnostics, as well as new approaches for validating the results of computational fluidized-bed simulations with experimental measurements.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725; AC0500OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1461069
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1396378
• Journal Information: Chemical Engineering Journal, Vol. 308, Issue C; ISSN 1385-8947
• Publisher: ElsevierCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English