MP-PIC simulation of the gas-solid full-loop flow characteristics in a dual fluidized bed and validation with experimental data

It is necessary to investigate and understand the gas-solid flow characteristics for the design and optimized operation for chemical looping combustion reactors and other chemical process which involves dual fluidized bed (DFB) system. In this research, computational fluid dynamics simulation was performed in a lab-scale cold three-dimensional full-loop dual fluidized bed model based on the Particel-In-Cell (MP-PIC) method to understand its gas-solid flow characteristics. The simulated results were analyzed and validated with the pressure and electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) measurements. It has been shown that Wen-Yu/Ergun drag model is feasible for the prediction of the gas-solid flow dynamics of this DFB system. The simulated particle volume fraction and ECT results have a good agreement. In the bubbling fluidized bed (BFB), four flow zones are identified based on the bubble and particle behaviors. In each zone, bubbles are mainly concentrated in the middle region. Moreover, the fluidizing air in the chute functions as a secondary air of the BFB to facilitate the particle movement. The BFB and the lower U valve are working as one component and function as a particle buffer region. Therefore, the balance of the whole system is determined by the time when the riser reaches steady state. The higher the air inlet velocity of the riser, the sooner the system reaches steady operation. In addition, the start-up characteristics among the riser, the BFB and U-valve are investigated based on the simulation results. The results indicated that there is a start-up time lag between the riser and bubbling fluidized bed when they each reach steady state.