Fluid Bed Reactors

Chapter (Not in book)

CH EN 4393
Terry A. Ring
Fluidization
Minimum Fluidization
Void Fraction
Superficial Velocity
Bubbling Bed Expansion
Prevent Slugging
Poor gas/solid contact
Fluidization
Fluid Bed
Particles
mean particle size, Angular
Shape Factor
Void fraction = 0.4 (bulk density)
Geldart, D. Powder Technology
7,285(1973), 19,133(1978)
Fluidization
Regimes
Fluidization Regimes
Packed Bed
Minimum Fluidization
Bubbling Fluidization
Slugging (in some cases)
Turbulent Fluidization
Minimum Fluidization
Bed Void Fraction at Minimum Fluidization


Overlap of phenomenon
Kinetics
Depend upon solid content in bed
Mass Transfer
Depends upon particle Re number
Heat Transfer
Depends upon solid content in bed and gas Re
Fluid Dynamics
Fluidization function of particle Re
Particle elution rate terminal settling rate vs gas
velocity
Distribution Plate Design to prevent channeling

Packed Bed
Pressure Drop
AP v
o
( )
L
R
v
o

D
p
1 c
c
3
|

\
|
|
.

150 1 c ( )
D
p
1.75 v
o
+

(
(

(
(

:=
Void Fraction, =0.2-0.4, Fixed
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
10
100
1 10
3

1 10
4

1 10
5

AP v
ft
s

\
|
|
.

psi
v
Now if particles are free to move?
Void Fraction
0 0.2 0.4
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
Superficial Gas Velocity (ft/s)
B
e
d

V
o
i
d

F
r
a
c
t
i
o
n
c
f
v
o
ft
s

\
|
|
.
c
mf
c
f
v
R
( )
v
o
G
mf

ft
s
,
v
R
ft
s
,
AP
f
v
o
c ,
( )
if v
o
G
mf

> L
R
v
o
D
p
1 c
f
v
o
( )

c
f
v
o
( )
3
|

\
|
|
|
.

150 1 c
f
v
o
( )

( )

D
p
1.75 v
o
+

(
(

(
(
(

, L
R
v
o
D
p
1 c
c
3
|

\
|
|
.

150 1 c ( )
D
p
1.75 v
o
+

(
(

(
(

(
(
(

:=
Void Fraction, =0.2-0.4 packed
Becomes

MF
=0.19 to
F
=0.8.
MF Pressure drop equals the weight of Bed
0
15
2
1 c ( )
c
3
v
o
D
p

1.75
c
3
v
o
D
p

\
|
|
.
2
+
D
p
3

S
( ) g

Fluid Bed Pressure Drop

Lower Pressure Drop
@ higher gas velocity
Highest Pressure
Drop at onset of
fluidization
0 0.2 0.4
0
20
40
60
Superficial Gas Velocity (ft/s)
P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

D
r
o
p

(
p
s
i
)
AP
f
v
o
ft
s
c ,
|

\
|
|
.
psi
AP
mf
psi
AP
f
v
R
c ,
( )
psi
v
o
G
mf

ft
s
,
v
R
ft
s
,
Bed at Fluidization Conditions
Void Fraction is High
Solids Content is Low
Surface Area for Reaction is Low
Pressure Drop is Low
Good Heat Transfer
Good Mass Transfer

Distributor Plate Design
Pressure Drop over the Distributor Plate
should be 30% of Total Pressure Drop (
bed and distributor)
Pressure drop at distributor is bed pressure
drop.
Bubble Cap Design is often used

Bubble Caps
Advantages
Weeping is reduced or totally avoided
S
bc
controls weeping
Good turndown ratio
Caps stiffen distributor plate
Number easily modified
Disadvantages
Expensive
Difficult to avoid stagnant regions
More subject to bubble coalescence
Difficult to clean
Difficult to modify
From Handbook of Fluidization and Fluid-Particle Systems By Wen-Ching Yang
Bubble Cap Design
Pressure drop controlled by
number of caps
stand pipe diameter
number of holes
Large number of caps
Good Gas/Solid Contact
Minimize dead zones
Less bubble coalescence
Low Pressure Drop
Pressure Drop in Bubble Caps
Pressure Drop Calculation Method
Compressible Fluid
Turbulent Flow
Sudden Contraction from Plenum to
Bottom of Distributor Plate
Flow through Pipe
Sudden Contraction from Pipe to hole
Flow through hole
Sudden Expansion into Cap
Elution of Particles from Bed
Particle Terminal
Setting Velocity



When particles are
small they leave bed

Terminal Settling Velocity
0 50 100 150 200
0
1
2
3
4
Particle Diameter (microns)
T
e
r
m
i
n
a
l

S
e
t
t
l
i
n
g

V
e
l
o
c
i
t
y

(
f
t
/
s
)
Gas Velocity
v
t
4
3
g D
p

\
|
|
.
2
D
p
2
|

\
|
|
.
2

S

( )
g
9

Cyclone
Used to capture
eluted particles and
return to fluid bed
Design to capture
most of eluted
particles
Pressure Drop
Big particles
AP
i
V ( ) 0.24 V
2
:=
Cyclone Design
Inlet Velocity as a function of
Cyclone Size


Cut Size (D
50%
)
Cyclone Equations
Perry's HB 5th ed, P 20-85
+7th ed, 17-28
V
in
D
c
( )
Q
R
D
c
2
4 2
:=
D
50
D
c
( )
9
D
c
4

t N V
in
D
c
( ) ( )
V
in
D
c
( )

Si

( )

(
(
(

1
2
:=
D
50
D
c
( )
9
D
c
4

t N V
i n
D
c
( ) ( )
V
i n
D
c
( )

Si

( )

(
(
(

1
2
:=
D
c
= Cyclone diameter
Cyclone Cut Size
Diameter where
50% leave, 50%
captured
0 1 2 3 4
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Cyclone Diameter(ft)
C
u
t

S
i
z
e

P
a
r
t
i
c
l
e

D
i
a
m
e
t
e
r

(
m
i
c
r
o
n
s
)
D
50
9
D
c
4

t N V
i n

S

( )

(
(
(

1
2
Size Selectivity Curve
20 40 60
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
24 in cyclone
14 in cyclone
D50 for 24 in Cyclone
20 in cyclone
Diameter of Eluted Particles
Particle Diameter (microns)
S
i
z
e

S
e
l
e
c
t
i
v
i
t
y
SS D ( ) 1 exp 0.693
D
D
50
|

\
|
|
.
3.12

(
(

Mass Transfer
Particle Mass Transfer
Sh= K
MT
D/D
AB
= 2.0 + 0.6 Re
1/2
Sc
1/3
Bed Mass Transfer
Complicated function of
Gas flow
Particles influence turbulence
Particles may shorten BL
Particles may be inert to MT
Fluid Bed Reactor Conclusions
The hard part is to get the fluid dynamics
correct
Kinetics, MT and HT are done within the
context of the fluid dynamics

Heat Transfer
Particle Heat Transfer
Nu= hD/k = 2.0 + 0.6 Re
1/2
Pr
1/3
Bed Heat Transfer
Complicated function of
Gas flow
Particle contacts