Heat transfer fast fluidized beds

Bed-to-Surface Heat Transfer. Bed-to-surface heat-transfer coefficients in fluidized beds are high. In a fast-fluidized bed combustor containing mostly Group B limestone particles, the dense bed-to-boiling water heat-transfer coefficient is on the order of 250 W/(m -K). For an FCC catalyst cooler (Group A particles), this heat-transfer coefficient is around 600 W/(600 -K). 

General Characteristics. Energy addition or extraction from fast fluidized beds are commonly accomplished through vertical heat transfer surfaces in the form of membrane walls or submerged vertical tubes. Horizontal tubes or tube bundles are almost never used due to concern with... 

Figure 16, General heat transfer characteristics of fast fluidized bed. (Front Kiartg el at., 1976.)...

The interaction of parametric effects of solid mass flux and axial location is illustrated by the data of Dou et al. (1991), shown in Fig. 19. These authors measured the heat transfer coefficient on the surface of a vertical tube suspended within the fast fluidized bed at different elevations. The data of Fig. 19 show that for a given size particle, at a given superficial gas velocity, the heat transfer coefficient consistently decreases with elevation along the bed for any given solid mass flux Gs. At a given elevation position, the heat transfer coefficient consistently increases with increasing solid mass flux at the highest elevation of 6.5 m, where hydrodynamic conditions are most likely to be fully developed, it is seen that the heat transfer coefficient increases by approximately 50% as Gv increased from 30 to 50 kg/rrfs. 

Figure 18. Parametric effects of solid flux and particle diameter on heat transfer in fast fluidized beds. (From Furchi et al, 1988).

Figure 19. Interactive effects of solid flux and axial location on heat transfer in fast fluidized bed. (From Dou, Herb, Tuzla and Chen, 1991.)...

The data of Fig. 20 also point out an interesting phenomenon—while the heat transfer coefficients at bed wall and bed centerline both correlate with suspension density, their correlations are quantitatively different. This strongly suggests that the cross-sectional solid concentration is an important, but not primary parameter. Dou et al. speculated that the difference may be attributed to variations in the local solid concentration across the diameter of the fast fluidized bed. They show that when the cross-sectional averaged density is modified by an empirical radial distribution to obtain local suspension densities, the heat transfer coefficient indeed than correlates as a single function with local suspension density. This is shown in Fig. 21 where the two sets of data for different radial positions now correlate as a single function with local mixture density. The conclusion is That the convective heat transfer coefficient for surfaces in a fast fluidized bed is determined primarily by the local two-phase mixture density (solid concentration) at the location of that surface, for any given type of particle. The early observed parametric effects of elevation, gas velocity, solid mass flux, and radial position are all secondary to this primary functional dependence. 

The parametric effect of system pressure on the heat transfer coefficient was studied by Wirth (1995). They obtained experimental measurements of the heat transfer Nusselt number for fast fluidized beds... 

Figure 22. Heat transfer coefficients for fast fluidized beds at various pressures. (DataofWirth, 1995.)... 

Models and Correlations. A multitude of different models and correlations have been proposed for prediction of the heat transfer coefficient at vertical surfaces in fast fluidized beds. To organize the various models in some context, it is helpful to consider the total heat transfer coefficient as comprised of convective contributions from the lean-gas... 

The simplest correlations are of the form shown by Eq. (15), in attempts to recognize the strong influence of solid concentration (i.e., suspension density) on the convective heat transfer coefficient. Some examples of this type of correlation, for heat transfer at vertical wall of fast fluidized beds are ... 

The parameter C in Eq. (25) is a dimensionless parameter inversely proportional to the average residence time of single particles on the heat transfer surface. It is suggested that this parameter be treated as an empirical constant to be determined by comparison with actual data in fast fluidized beds. The lower two dash lines in Fig. 17 represent predictions by Martin s model, with C taken as 2.0 and 2.6. It is seen that an appropriate adjustment of this constant would achieve reasonable agreement between prediction and data. 

Han, G. Y., Experimental Study of Radiative and Particle Convective Heat Transfer in Fast Fluidized Beds, Ph.D. Dissertation, Lehigh University (1992)... 

Basu, P. (1990). Heat Transfer in High Temperature Fast Fluidized Beds. Chem. Eng. Sci.,... 

The performance of a fluidized bed combustor is strongly influenced by the fluid mechanics and heat transfer in the bed, consideration of which must be part of any attempt to realistically model bed performance. The fluid mechanics and heat transfer in an AFBC must, however, be distinguished from those in fluidized catalytic reactors such as fluidized catalytic crackers (FCCs) because the particle size in an AFBC, typically about 1 mm in diameter, is more than an order of magnitude larger than that utilized in FCC s, typically about 50 ym. The consequences of this difference in particle size is illustrated in Table 1. Particle Reynolds number in an FCC is much smaller than unity so that viscous forces dominate whereas for an AFBC the particle Reynolds number is of order unity and the effect of inertial forces become noticeable. Minimum velocity of fluidization (u ) in an FCC is so low that the bubble-rise velocity exceeds the gas velocity in the dense phase (umf/cmf) over a bed s depth the FCC s operate in the so-called fast bubble regime to be elaborated on later. By contrast- the bubble-rise velocity in an AFBC may be slower or faster than the gas-phase velocity in the emulsion... 

In this chapter, emphasis will be given to heat transfer in fast fluidized beds between suspension and immersed surfaces to demonstrate how heat transfer depends on gas velocity, solids circulation rate, gas/solid properties, and temperature, as well as on the geometry and size of the heat transfer surfaces. Both radial and axial profiles of heat transfer coefficients are presented to reveal the relations between hydrodynamic features and heat transfer behavior. For the design of commercial equipment, the influence of the length of heat transfer surface and the variation of heat transfer coefficient along the surface will be discussed. These will be followed by a description of current mechanistic models and methods for enhancing heat transfer on large heat transfer surfaces in fast fluidized beds. Heat and mass transfer between gas and solids in fast fluidized beds will then be briefly discussed. 

Heat transfer processes occurring in fast fluidized bed generally include... 

Experimental studies have been conducted by Bi et al. (1990) in a fast fluidized bed 186 mm in inside diameter at ambient temperature. FCC particles with a mean size of 48 fan were employed, and three cylindrical heat probes, 10 mm in diameter and 40,80 and 160 mm in length, respectively, were used. The probes, made of copper-sheathed inner heating elements, were instrumented with thermocouples 40 mm apart on the surface for the measurement of surface temperature. Located 2.9 m above the distributor, the probe was installed either upward or downward (see Fig. 5), and was moved along the radial direction by two connecting sticks for the measurement of heat transfer coefficients for different orientations and at different radial positions. 

To predict the radial profile of heat transfer coefficient in fast fluidized beds, an empirical correlation has been proposed by Bi et al. (1989) in dimensionless form as follows ... 

Inasmuch as heat transfer depends on the hydrodynamic features of fast fluidization, if the fast fluidized bed is equipped with an abrupt exit, the axial distribution of solids concentration will have a C-shaped curve (Jin et al., 1988 Bai et al., 1992 Glicksman et al., 1991. See Chapter 3, Section III.F.l). The heat transfer coefficient will consequently increase in the region near the exit, as reported by Wu et al. (1987). 

The second and the third components become significant only at high temperatures (> 700°C) and low solids concentrations (< 30 kg/m3). In fast fluidized beds, the motion of the particles plays an overriding role in the heat transfer process, since the solids particles have larger heat capacity and higher thermal conductivity. Most of the heat transfer models reported in the literature give emphasis to particle convective transfer. 

The residual carbon contents at different axial locations of the combustor were measured in the pilot plant tests (Li et al., 1991), as shown in Fig. 18. These data show that axial variations in carbon content with temperature (from 810 °C-923 °C) are as a whole rather slight, but mean carbon content increases with decreasing excess air ratio. Besides, for excess air ratios greater than 1.2, the carbon content at the top of the combustor is somewhat less than that at the bottom, while for excess air ratio less than 1.2, the opposite tendency is evident. In conclusion, for this improved combustor, an excess air ratio of 1.2 is considered enough for carbon burn-out, leading to reduced flue gas and increased heat efficiency as compared to bubbling fluidized bed combustion. That is probably attributable to bubbleless gas-solid contacting for increased mass transfer between gas and solids in the fast fluidized bed, as explained by combustion kinetics. 

Gas plus catalyst soUd Usually BFB. For fast reactions, gas film diffusion may control and catalyst pore diffusion mass transfer may control if catalyst diameter >1.5 mm. Heat transfer heat transfer coefficient wall to fluidized bed is 20-40 X gas-wall at the same superficial velocity, h = 0.15-0.3 kW/m K. Nu = 0.5-2. Heat transfer from the bed to the walls U = 0.45 to 1.1 kW/m °C. from bed to immersed tubes U = 0.2 to 0.4 kW/m °C from solids to gas in the bed U = 0.017 to 0.055 kW/m °C. Fluidized bed usually expands 10-25 %. Backmix type reactor which increases the volume of the reactor and usually gives a loss in selectivity. Usually characterized as backmix operation or more realistically as a series of CSTR if the height/diameter > 2 Usually 1 CSTR for each H/D= 1. If the reactor operates in the bubble region, then much of the gas short circuits the catalyst so the overall apparent rate constant is lower by a factor of 10. 

In general, nonuniform structures, in both time and space, is widespread in bubbling, turbulent, and fast fluidization regimes. On the one hand, such nonuniformity can enhance the mass and heat transfer of a bed. On the other hand, it decreases the contact efficiency of gas and solids and makes the scale-up rather difficult. Internals are usually introduced not to eliminate the nonuniform flow structure completely but to control its effect on chemical reactions. The function of internals varies in different fluidization regimes, as do the types and parameters of internals. Taking these purposes into consideration, internals may be successfully applied to catalytic reactors with high conversion and selectivity, and some other physical processes. 

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