Influence of particle size on the exit effect of a full-scale rolling circulating fluidized bed

This paper investigated the influence of particle size on the exit effect of a full-scale rolling circulating fluidized bed (CFB) by using the Computational Fluid Dynamics-Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM) method. The gas-solid two-phase flow of the full-scale rolling CFB was compared with that of a simplified rolling CFB. Thus, the exit effect of the full-scale rolling CFB was clarified. In the air phase, a peak of air axial velocity v(ya) was observed when the full-scale rolling CFB reached the maximum angular displacement. The particle phase possessed back mixing and radial exchange phenomena at the top and bottom of the full-scale rolling CFB, respectively. However, those phenomena were not obvious at the top and bottom of the simplified rolling CFB. The mechanism of the above-mentioned exit effect was then clarified by analyzing the forces acting on the particles under different particle sizes. Finally, the increases in particle size lead to the intensification of the peak of v(ya), particle back mixing, and radial exchange phenomena. Therefore, the intensity of the exit effect of the gas-solid two-phase flow increased as the particle size increased(.) The results suggested that the small particles had the potential to promote the purification rate of the full-scale rolling CFB on account of its small exit effect.