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Computational fluid dynamics simulation of gas–solid hydrodynamics in a bubbling fluidized-bed reactor: effects of air distributor, viscous and drag models


Citation

Khezri, Ramin and Wan Ab. Karim Ghani, Wan Azlina and Soltani, Salman Masoudi and Awang Biak, Dayang Radiah and Yunus, Robiah and Silas, Kiman and Shahbaz, Muhammad and Motlagh, Shiva Rezaei (2019) Computational fluid dynamics simulation of gas–solid hydrodynamics in a bubbling fluidized-bed reactor: effects of air distributor, viscous and drag models. Processes, 7 (8). art. no. 524. pp. 1-16. ISSN 2227-9717

Abstract

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.


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Official URL or Download Paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/7/8/524

Additional Metadata

Item Type: Article
Divisions: Faculty of Engineering
DOI Number: https://doi.org/10.3390/pr7080524
Publisher: MDPI
Keywords: Gasification; Fluidized bed; CFD; Hydrodynamics; Multiphase flow
Depositing User: Nabilah Mustapa
Date Deposited: 04 May 2020 16:12
Last Modified: 04 May 2020 16:12
Altmetrics: http://www.altmetric.com/details.php?domain=psasir.upm.edu.my&doi=10.3390/pr7080524
URI: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/38288
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