Hydrodynamics of slot-rectangular spouted beds: Process intensification

Simulation of pellet coating in Wurster coaters

A combination of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), discrete element method (DEM), and discrete droplet method (DDM), i.e., a CFD-DEM-DDM model, was developed to simulate coating of pellets in a Wurster coater. The model equations were implemented in parallel using an approach that uses the computational resources of both CPU and GPU. Effects of the gas flow pattern, inlet gas temperature, partition gap, and spray characteristics were studied on the process. Decreasing the peripheral gas velocity, increasing the central jet velocity, and reducing the partition gap caused more uniform distributions of the circulation time and draft tube time, while the inlet gas temperature had negligible effect on them. Very high jet velocity caused a wider distribution of the circulation time. The dynamics of the spray and its interaction with pellets had significant effects on the coating mass distribution. Widening the spray angle while maintaining the droplet size constant caused the most uniform coating mass distribution and the highest deposition rate. Heat and mass transfer conditions as well as the deposition pattern changed the distributions of the solvent content and temperature of the pellets.

CFD Investigation of Al2O3 Nanoparticles Effect on Heat Transfer Enhancement of Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids in a Helical Coil

The present study applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to investigate the heat transfer of Newtonian (water) and non-Newtonian (0.3 %wt. aqueous solution of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)) fluids in the presence of Al2O3 nanoparticles. To analyze the heat transfer rate, investigations were performed in a vertical helical coil as essential heat transfer equipment, at different inlet Reynolds numbers. To verify the accuracy of the simulation model, experimental data reported in the literature were employed. Comparisons showed the validity of simulation results. From the results, compared to the aqueous solution of CMC, water had a higher Nusselt number. In addition, it was observed that adding nanoparticles to a base fluid presented different results in which water/Al2O3 nanofluid with nanoparticles’ volume fraction of 5 % was more effective than the same base fluid with a volume fraction of 10 %. In lower ranges of Reynolds number, adding nanoparticles was more effective. For CMC solution (10 %), increasing concentration of nanoparticles caused an increase in the apparent viscosity. Consequently, the Nusselt number was reduced. The findings reveal the important role of fluid type and nanoparticle concentration in the design and development of heat transfer equipment.

CFD Simulation and Optimization of Mixing Behaviors in a Spouted Bed with a Longitudinal Vortex

The radial mixing characteristics of gas and solid phases in a cylindrical spouted bed with a pair of longitudinal vortex generators (LVGs) are numerically studied by a two-fluid model. The influence of the distance between the centers of two spheres (L) and the shape of LVGs on hydrodynamics in a spouted bed are discussed. The results show that the value of the coefficient of variation (CV) of the particle concentration can be significantly reduced by the longitudinal vortex produced in spouted beds. The particle concentration near the spout decreases first and then increases with the increase of L. When the shape of LVGs is cylindrical, a maximum increase of 188 % for particle volume fraction is found near the spout region of the spouted bed. The strengthening effect on particles' velocity achieves the best in annulus of the spouted bed, and CV of the particle concentration in the spouted bed reaches its minimum value with a pair of cylindrical LVGs.