Evaluation of mixing and mixing rate in a multiple spouted bed by image processing technique

Mixing efficiency is one of the most significant factors, affecting both performance and scale-up of a gas-solid reactor system. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the particle mixing in a multiple spouted bed. Image processing technique was used to extract the real-time information concerning the distribution of particle components (bed materials and tracer particles). A more accurate definition of the tracer concentration was developed to calculate the mixing index. According to the visual observation and image analysis, the mixing mechanism was revealed and the mixing rate was evaluated. Based on these results, the effects of operation parameters on the mixing rate were discussed in terms of the flow patterns. It is found that the detection of the pixel distribution of each component in RGB images is not affected by the interference of air void, thus maintaining good measurement accuracy. Convective transportation controls the particle mixing in the internal jet and spout, while shear dominants the particle mixing in the dense moving region. Global mixing takes place only when the path from one spout cell to the other is open. This path can be formed either by the bubbles or particle circulation flows. The mixing rate is linked to the bubble motion and particle circulation. Provided that there are interactions between the spout cells, any parameters promoting the bubble motion and circulation can increase the mixing rate. Finally, a mixing pattern diagram was constructed to establish the connection between the flow structure and mixing intensity

Simulation of Particle Mixing and Separation in Multi-Component Fluidized Bed Using Eulerian-Eulerian Method: A Review

In practical engineering applications, the mixing and separation behavior of multi-component particles is importance to the fluidized bed operation. The development of many practical processes is inseparable from the knowledge of particle mixing and separation, such as material processing of ash-soluble coal gasification, multi-phase flow in boilers, and petrochemical catalytic processes. In recent years, due to the obvious advantages of the Eulerian–Eulerian model, many researchers at home and abroad have used it to study the mixing and separation behavior of particles. The paper reviews the use of Eulerian–Eulerian model to study the mixing and separation of multi-component particles in fluidized beds. The Eulerian–Eulerian model describes the gas-phase and each of the individual particles as continuums. The mechanism of particle mixing and separation, the influence of different factors on the particle mixing and separation including differences in particle size and density, the differences in apparent air velocity, the differences in model factors are discussed. Finally, an outlook for the use of Eulerian–Eulerian model to study the mixing and separation behavior of three component particles and related research on the drag model between particles

Experimental evaluation of a Chinese sulfur-containing lean iron ore as the oxygen carrier for chemical-looping combustion

A series of chemical-looping combustion (CLC) tests were conducted in a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) reactor to investigate the potential of a Chinese sulfur-containing lean iron ore as the oxygen carrier. Two main products of solidfuel pyrolysis and gasification, namely, CH4 and CO, were selected as the reducing gases. Consecutive reduction−oxidation cycles were first carried out in the TGA reactor to evaluate the cyclic stability and agglomeration tendency of the oxygen carrier. The effects of the temperature, fuel gas concentration, and reaction gas composition on the reduction reaction were further investigated. Increasing the reaction temperature or fuel gas concentration enhanced the reduction rate and reaction degree of the oxygen carrier. Meanwhile, CO showed much higher reduction reactivity than CH4. A comparison of the rate index of the iron ore used with those of high-grade minerals indicated that the iron ore had adequate reactivity for its application in solid-fuel CLC technology. The side reaction of carbon deposition was also discussed. Finally, the shrinking-core model with chemical reaction control was adopted to determine the chemical kinetics

Prediction and optimization of a desulphurization system using CMAC neural network and genetic algorithm

In this paper, taking desulphurizing ratio and economic cost as two objectives, a ten-input two-output prediction model was structured and validated for desulphurization system. Cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC) neural network and genetic algorithm (GA) were used for model building and optimization of cost respectively. In the model building process, the grey relation entropy analysis and uniform design method were used to screen the input variables and study the model parameters separately. Traditional regression analysis and proposed location number analysis method were adopted to analyze output errors of experiment group and predict the results of test group. Results show that regression analyses keep high fit degree with experiment group results while the fitting accuracies for test group are quite different. As for location number analysis, a power function between output errors and location numbers was fitted well with the data of experiment group and test group for SO2. Prediction model was initialized by location number analysis method. Model was validated and cost optimization case was performed with GA subsequently. The result shows that the optimal cost obtained from GA could be reduced by more than 30% compared with original optimal operating parameters under same constraints

STUDY ON POLLUTANTS EMISSION CHARACTERISTIC OF COAL GASIFICATION IN A FLUIDIZED BED TEST RIG

ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of coal gasification in a fluidized bed test rig of Xuzhou bituminous coal. The diameter of the fluidized bed combustor is 0.1m and the height is 4.22m. The bed temperature is maintained by a method of high temperature flue gas interline heating to overcome high heat losses associated with a oil burner. Test results are reported for variations in the bed temperature, air to coal, steam to coal and Ca to S ratio and their influence on gas yields and desulphurization efficiency. The distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metal trace elements into the char and syngas are also presented. The molar contents for CH 4 and H 2 in the coal syngas are found to decrease with increasing air to coal feed ratio from 2.5 to 5, while the content of CO shows little variation. Increasing the steam to coal feed ratio from 0.4 to 0.65 results in all three of the main gas components measured to form a local maximum content at a steam/coal feed ratio of 0.55. The efficiency of desulphurization improves as the ratio of Ca to S, air to coal and the bed temperature are increased, while decreasing with increasing steam to coal feed ratios. The volatile trace element species in decreasing order of relative mass ratio released into the gas phase are Hg, Se, As, Co, Cr, Cd, Cu, and Zn. Besides Hg, Se, and As, for all other trace heavy metals the majority of their mass distribution remains within the char with the proportion contained within char always greater than their combined yields in the coal syngas and slag. The total PAHs in the coal syngas is greater than that contained in the original coal and this indicates that PAHs are formed during the coal gasification process. Keywords: coal, gasification, fluidized bed, desulphurization, trace element, PAHs INTRODUCTION Advanced Pressurized Fluidized Bed CombustionCombined Cycle (APFBC-CC) is a promising technology for the cleaner and more efficient generation of electricity from coal. Coal partial gasification is a key step in the APFBC cycle. The majority of the sulphur present in coal changes into hydrogen sulfide under a reducing partial gasification atmosphere. At the same time, trace elements like As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mg, Ni, Hg, Pb, V, Se, Sr and Zn and PAHs in the coal gasification redistribute themselves into the slag, fly ash and coal gas phases. Xiangling Ho

COAL GASIFICATION CHARACTERISTICS IN A 2MWth SECOND-GENERATION PFB GASIFIER

ABSTRACT Coal gasification process and equipment feasibility research w ere carried out in a 2 MW thermal input pressurized spout-fluid bed pilot-scale gasifier and a long-time-run test was performed to study the effects of operating parameters on coal partial gasification behaviors. The test results have demonstrated the feasibility of the gasifier to provide suitable fuel gas and residual char for downstream system of 2G PFBC-CC. The concentration of methane decreased at higher gasification temperature due to the secondary cracking of methane while the carbon conversion increased, and the concentration of hydrogen increased with an increase of steam flow rate. The main experimental results were compared with those of pilot-scale facilities in the world

Numerical simulation of the influence of different oxygen concentration on the combustion characteristics of double tangential boiler at low load

In order to cope with the demand for deep peak regulation of high-parameter coal-fired units, this paper uses numerical simulation methods to systematically explore the influence of different secondary wind oxygen enrichment concentrations on the combustion performance and characteristics of singlefurnace double-cut round boilers during low-load operation, so as to provide theoretical support for the actual operation of power plants. The results are as follows: (1) The use of oxygen enriched secondary air combustion during low-load operation of the boiler can improve the overall temperature of the main combustion zone of the furnace and the local temperature of the burner nozzle section, and enhance the combustion stability of pulverized coal in the furnace. (2) When the secondary air oxygen concentration is 35% and 40%, the overall temperature of the main combustion area of the boiler increases the most obviously, and the combustion is the most stable. (3) Oxygen-enriched combustion effectively reduced the NOx emission concentration in the furnace, and the overall trend of NOx emission decreases first and then increases with the increasing trend of secondary air oxygen concentration

Numerical simulation of the influence of different oxygen concentration on the combustion characteristics of double tangential boiler at low load

In order to cope with the demand for deep peak regulation of high-parameter coal-fired units, this paper uses numerical simulation methods to systematically explore the influence of different secondary wind oxygen enrichment concentrations on the combustion performance and characteristics of singlefurnace double-cut round boilers during low-load operation, so as to provide theoretical support for the actual operation of power plants. The results are as follows: (1) The use of oxygen enriched secondary air combustion during low-load operation of the boiler can improve the overall temperature of the main combustion zone of the furnace and the local temperature of the burner nozzle section, and enhance the combustion stability of pulverized coal in the furnace. (2) When the secondary air oxygen concentration is 35% and 40%, the overall temperature of the main combustion area of the boiler increases the most obviously, and the combustion is the most stable. (3) Oxygen-enriched combustion effectively reduced the NOx emission concentration in the furnace, and the overall trend of NOx emission decreases first and then increases with the increasing trend of secondary air oxygen concentration

The Effect of Rice Straw Gasification Temperature on the Release and Occurrence Modes of Na and K in a Fluidized Bed

Rice straw gasification was carried out in a laboratory fluidized bed reactor system from 600 to 800 °C in order to well-understand the release and occurrence mode of alkali metals as a function of temperature during the gasification process. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was applied to analyze the original rice straw and obtained fly ash at different temperatures. The results show that the Water-Soluble, Ammonium acetate-Soluble, Hydrochloric acid-Soluble, and Aluminosilicate Combination-Soluble modes of the Na and K contents in rice straw decreased in sequence. The content of Water-Soluble salts of Na and K accounts for more than 50%, while the content of the Aluminosilicate Combination-Soluble mode is the lowest: less than 5%. The release rate of Na appears to be consistent but nonlinear, increasing with gasification conversion ranges between 50.2% and 70.8%, from which we can deduce that temperature is not the only factor that impacts Na emission. The release of K can be divided into two stages at 700 °C. At the first stage, the release rate of K is almost invariable, ranging from 23.3% to 26%. At the second stage, the release rate increases sharply: up to 55.9%. The concentration and the proportion of the Water-Soluble, Ammonium acetate-Soluble, and Hydrochloric acid-Soluble modes of Na in fly ash decrease with a temperature increase. The release of K can be explained as follows: one path is an organic form of K converted into its gaseous phase; the other path is a soluble inorganic form of K that is volatile at a high temperature. With a temperature increase, the Aluminosilicate Combination-Soluble mode of both Na and K increases