Effect of sand particle size on the hydrodynamics of a dual fluidized bed cold flow system applied for waste-to-energy gasifiers

Since the dual fluidized bed (DFB) system has been increasingly adopted for waste-to-energy gasification, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics full-loop model of a DFB cold flow system has been developed to predict the pressure and sand circulation rate (SCR) under various operating conditions. The pressure data were recorded at 18 specified points along the system height. In addition, the SCRs were determined at the two crucial positions connecting the riser and the gasifier and vice versa. The simulation results were then validated against the experimental data, taking into account the effects of the sand particle size (d(s)), the air inlet velocity in the riser (v(0,riser)), and the initial gasifier bed height (h(0,gasifier)). It could be observed in the riser that the flow structures of the smaller d(s)(s) were almost scattering patterns, while those of the bigger ones were mainly clusters. Compared with bigger d(s)(s), more homogeneous pressure distributions in the riser and higher bed expansion in the gasifier were obtained with smaller ones. A compromise between the system performance and pre-treating cost for the feedstock particle sizes should be considered further to achieve the best system performance. On the other hand, the increases of the v(0,riser) and the h(0,gasifier) enhanced the gasifier bed pressure, facilitating the downward sand flow back to the riser via the LLS. Although some minor discrepancies existed between the simulation and experimental data, the predicted tendencies agreed well with the measured ones. It was also found that a system operating with d(s) = 500 mu m, at v(0,riser) = 4.0 m/s and h(0,gasifier) = 0.25 m yielded stable flow characteristics and optimal global SCR. Moreover, some unexpected phenomena predicted and verified with the experimental observations could be avoided or minimized using suitable particle sizes of the feedstock and operating parameters. In sum, the better validation results with lower errors than our previous study, the more reasonable air-sand flow patterns, and the substantial predictions of undesirable problems are the significant improvements of this study, providing valuable information for effectively designing and operating the practical DFB hot flow systems. Novelty Statement This study developed a 3D computational fluid dynamics full-loop model of a DFB cold flow system for predicting the pressure and sand circulation rates under various operating conditions of particle size, inlet velocity, and initial bed height. The better validation results against the experimental data, the more reasonable air-sand flow patterns, and the substantial predictions of undesirable problems are the significant improvements of this study, providing helpful information for designing and operating the DFB hot flow gasifiers.

Automated summary

This study developed a 3D computational fluid dynamics full-loop model to predict the pressure and sand circulation rates under various operating conditions. The model was validated against experimental data and showed reasonable predictions of air-sand flow patterns and undesirable problems, providing valuable information for designing and operating practical DFB hot flow systems.