Effect of interparticle force on gas dynamics in a bubbling gas-solid fluidized bed: A CFD-DEM study

The influence of cohesive interparticle force (IPF) on gas dynamics in a bubbling gas-solid fluidized bed was numerically investigated while the bed hydrodynamics was described with the help of computational fluid dynamics and discrete element method (CFD-DEM). The model was validated by experimental results in terms of total bed pressure drop profile, probability density distribution of instantaneous local bed voidage signals, and Eulerian solid velocity field. The results showed that the model can satisfactorily predict the hydrodynamics of a bubbling gas-solid fluidized bed that is impacted by the presence of cohesive IPF. The validated CFD-DEM model was adopted to delineate the effects of IPF on the distribution of fluidizing gas between the bubble and emulsion phases and bubble characteristics, such as bubble stability and rise path, which could hardly be explored experimentally. Simulation results revealed that the presence of IPF in the bubbling bed alters the distribution of the fluidizing gas between the bubble and emulsion phases in favor of an increase in the propensity of gas to pass through the bed in the emulsion phase. The results also indicated that the bubble stability increases and the straight rise path of bubbles changes to a tortuous path when enhancing IPF. (C) 2019 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.