Introduction to

Fluidized Bed Technology

J. Ruud van Ommen

Reactor & Catalysis Engineering
Delft University of Technology
E-mail: j.r.vanommen@tnw.tudelft.nl

Glatt Seminar 18 March 2003

 Introduction

Fluidized bed:
particles suspended
in an upward
gas stream

drag force

equals

gravitational force
 Outline

Classification: Particle size

Hydrodynamic regime (~ gas velocity)
Lay-out
Design
Applications
Typical properties: Low pressure drop
Heat and mass transfer
Erosion / measurements
Segregation and agglomeration
Modelling
Summary
References
Geldart’s powder classification
 Geldart’s powder classification

C Drag
A
Attraction
Cohesive Aeratable
0-30 µm 30-100 µm
flour Gravity milk powder

B D
Bubbling Spoutable
100-1000 µm >1000 µm
sand coffee beans
 Geldart’s powder classification

A powder (30-100 µm) B powder (100-1000 µm)

maximum bubble size bubbles keep on growing

From CD-ROM: Laboratory Demonstrations in Particle Technology, M. Rhodes

 Geldart’s powder classification

C powder (<30 µm) D powder (>1000 µm)

very cohesive spouted fluidization

From CD-ROM: Laboratory Demonstrations in Particle Technology, M. Rhodes

 Influence of particle size distribution

1.0
20
15
mass%

10
5

Conversion [-]
0
0 50 100 150
particle diameter [micron] 0.5

20 wide size distribution

15
mass%

narrow size distribution

10
5
0 0.0
0 4 8
Adapted from Sun & Grace (1990) Dimensionless kinetic rate constant [-]
 Fluidization Regimes

fixed bed bubbling turbulent fast pneumatic

fluidization transport
homogeneous slugging

solids returns

solids returns

solids returns
gas gas gas gas gas
gas gas
only A powders only narrow beds
at low gas velocity

gas velocity
 Fluidized bed lay-outs
laterally staged bed
circulating
bed
vertically
turbulent staged bed
bed

bubbling
bed
spouted bed

twin bed
riser
downer floating bed
 Fluidized bed design

product gas

cyclones

freeboard

heat
exchange
tubes

reactant gas windbox/plenum

 Applications

Physical processes: Chemical processes:

Š heat exchange Š Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC)
Š drying Š Synthesis reactions (e.g., vinyl acetate,
Š coating phtalic anhydride, acrylonitrile)

Š granulation Š Polymerization of olefines

(ethylene, propylene)
Š gas purification
via adsorption Š Silicon production
Š Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of gasoline
Š Fluid Coking and Flexi-Coking
Š Coal / biomass / waste combustion
Š Coal / biomass / waste gasification
 Low pressure drop

Packed bed

pressure
drop

gas velocity

Fluidized bed
pressure Lower pressure drop
drop lower power costs
onset of fluidization

gas velocity
 Heat and mass transfer

Heat transfer: particle to wall or internal

Mass transfer: gas to particle
Fluidized beds show an excellent heat transfer
Mixing of solids by (large) bubbles Æ
almost constant temperature throughout the reactor

However, large bubbles

decrease the mass transfer
Research Æ decrease bubble size
Bubble:
shortcut Interstitial gas:
of gas effective
 Ways to decrease the bubble size
Vibration Electric field
Magnetic field 1
rel.
bubble
size
0.6
0 field strength [kV/cm] 5
Mori et al., Nagoya Rosensweig, Exxon
Inst of Techn. Kleijn van Willigen et al.,
TU Delft
Pulsed gas
Fractal injector injection Optimizing
particle properties

Coppens and Lems, Coppens et al.,

Van Ommen et al.,
TU Delft TU Delft
TU Delft
 Erosion / measurements

Fluidized bed:

• often high temperature

• often chemically aggressive
• large mechanical stress
High erosion rate
Opaque nature
Erosion
Cross-sectional picture
of thermocouple
(Sethi et al., Kentucky Energy
Cabinet Lab.)
Only few measurement
techniques are available!

Industrial fluidized beds: only pressure and temperature

measurements on a routinely base.
 Segregation and agglomeration
Difference in size and/or
Agglomeration problems
density can lead to
occur in various fluidized
segregation of the particles.
bed processes

More information
Æ presentation ‘Agglomeration
Hoomans, Kuipers, et al., detection’ this afternoon
Twente University
 Modelling
Simple engineering models Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

‘Two fluid’ model Discrete particle model

Two-region model

Levenspiel,
Oregon State Univ. Van Wachem, Van den Bleek, Hoomans, Kuipers, et al.,
et al., Delft Univ. of Techn. Twente Univ.
Models still show shortcomings Æ scaling-up remains troublesome
 Summary

Fluidized bed: particles suspended in a gas stream

Particle size and gas velocity strongly influence the
fluidized bed behaviour
Large range of application and many different lay-out
+ Low pressure drop
+ Heat transfer
+/- Mass transfer
- Erosion
- Segregation & agglomeration
Improvement of models is still continuing
 More information

Books:
Fluidization Engineering, Kunii & Levenspiel, ISBN 0409902330
Gas Fluidization, Mell Pell, ISBN 0444883355
Circulating Fluidized Beds, Grace, ISBN 0751402710

Articles:
Review turbulent fluidization, Bi et al., Chem.Eng.Sci. (2000) 55, pp. 4789
Measurement techniques, Werther, Powder Technol., 102 (1999) pp. 15

Web-sites:
Tutorials: www.erpt.org/technoar/fluidbed.htm
This presentation: www.dct.tudelft.nl/~vanommen