Applying a CFD-PBM approach to modeling the flow behavior in pressurized bubbling fluidized beds

Pressurized fluidization is an important technology for process intensification. In this research, we introduce a CFD-PBM approach coupled with the EMMS model to investigate the flow behavior in pressurized fluidized beds across a pressure range of 0.1 to 1.0 MPa. By comparing with experiments, it is evident that the CFD-PBM-EMMS approach can reasonably capture the flow characteristics and bubble behavior under various operating pressures. The prediction errors of the expansion height and bubble diameter are less than 5 % and 25 %, respectively. The breakage kernel accurately predicts the increasing bubble breakage frequency as pressure rises. Under high pressures, the gas-solid flow becomes more uniform, and the fluidization behavior of Geldart B particles transitions towards that of Geldart A ones. The effect of pressure on process intensification exhibits a marginal decreasing effect beyond 0.6 Mpa, suggesting that there may exist an optimal operating state that balances energy consumption and fluidization quality.