Simulation of Flow Behavior of Particles in a Liquid-Solid Fluidized Bed

Understanding hydrodynamics of liquid-solid fluidized beds is crucial in proper scale-up and design of these reactors. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models have shown promise in gaining this understanding. In this paper, a two-dimensional CFD model, using an Eulerian-Eulerian two-fluid model incorporating the kinetic theory of granular flow, is used to describe the liquid-solid two-phase flow in a liquid solid fluidized bed. The predicted pressure gradient data and concentrations are found to agree with experimental data published in the literature. Furthermore, the model is used to investigate the influences of the superficial liquid velocity and the sold particle size on the distribution of solids concentration. The simulation results showed that the solids concentration has a relatively uniform distribution and high bed expansion with the increase of liquid velocity and decrease of particles sizes. Solids mean axial velocities decrease with the decrease in superficial liquid velocity. The static bed height plays a minor role on the effect of velocity and concentration distribution in numerical simulations of liquid-solid bubbling fluidized beds.