Direct Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer of a Reactive Particle Layer with Stefan Flow in Supercritical Water

Supercritical water gasification is an efficient and clean way of energy conversion. The research on different scales, such as the system, reactor, and particle, has different temporal and spatial significance. A study on particle-particle and particle- fluid-particle interaction on the particle scale has a fundamental guiding value for revealing gasification performance on the reactor scale. Reactive particles such as coal are pyrolyzed and gasified in a high-temperature and high-pressure reactor to form Stefan flow, which affects the mass, momentum, and energy transfer between particles and supercritical water. In this paper, a particle-resolved direct numerical simulation study of a reactive particle layer in supercritical water is carried out to investigate the effect of different particle layer solid holdups and Stefan flow intensities and distributions on the flow and heat transfer process between the particle layer and supercritical water. This work analyzes the pressure and friction drag coefficients to which the particles are subjected and specifies the flow, velocity, and temperature distribution inside and around the particle layer. The results show that the drag coefficient and Nusselt number of particles in the particle layer decrease gradually along the flow direction, and the presence of particle Stefan flow further reduces the drag force and Nusselt number of particles. With the increasing solid holdup of the particle layer, the particle-fluid-particle interaction becomes more intense, and the effect of Stefan flow cannot be negligible.

Automated summary

Supercritical water gasification is an efficient and clean energy conversion method. The study of particle-particle and particle-fluid-particle interactions on the particle scale can guide the understanding of gasification performance on the reactor scale.