Gas-solid fluidized bed simulations using the filtered approach: Validation against pilot-scale experiments

Wenchao Yu (1) , Pascal Fede (1) , Mahdi Yazdanpanah (2) , Benjamin Amblard (3) , Florian Euzenat (2) , Olivier Simonin

1 IMFT - Institut de mécanique des fluides de Toulouse
2 TRTG - TOTAL Research & Technology Gonfreville
3 IFPEN - IFP Energies nouvelles

The numerical simulations on the large-scale fluidized beds still remain challenging due to the computational limitation and experimental validation. In the present work, a CFD study of a large-scale fluidized bed is investigated using the NEPTUNE_CFD code based on an Eulerian n-fluid modeling approach. A SubGrid Scale (SGS) drag model based on the filtered approach is used to take into account the effect of very small solid structures unresolved with the coarse mesh. The numerical results are compared with the experimental data carried out in a pilot-scale fluidized bed unit and provided by Particulate Solid Research Inc (PSRI). By applying the SGS drag model without any specific or empirical tuning, mesh-independent numerical results are obtained. The flow regimes inside the fluidized bed are well predicted for all the superficial gas velocities studied here. The bed density profiles and the solid entrainment fluxes are also in good agreement with the experimental measurement.  The large-scale fluidized bed simulations are validated against PSRI experiments for different flow regimes from turbulent to fast fluidization.  A SGS drag model based on the filtered approach is using without any specific or empirical tuning which shows certain universality.  The gas-solid flows inside the fluidized bed with different gas velocities are characterized.  The validation in this study is a critical step toward industrial-scale fluidized bed simulations. Gas-solid fluidized bed simulations using the filtered approach: Validation against pilot-scale experiments Abstract The numerical simulations on the large-scale fluidized beds still remain challenging due to the computational limitation and experimental validation. In the present work, a CFD study of a large-scale fluidized bed is investigated using the NEPTUNE CFD code based on an Eulerian n-fluid modeling approach. A SubGrid Scale (SGS) drag model based on the filtered approach is used to take into account the effect of very small solid structures unresolved with the coarse mesh. The numerical results are compared with the experimental data carried out in a pilot-scale fluidized bed unit and provided by Particulate Solid Research Inc (PSRI). By applying the SGS drag model without any specific or empirical tuning, mesh-independent numerical results are obtained. The flow regimes inside the fluidized bed are well predicted for all the superficial gas velocities studied here. The bed density profiles and the solid entrainment fluxes are also in good agreement with the experimental measurement.

Mots clés: Fluidized bed; CFD Keywords: Fluidized bed; Subgrid scale drag; Euler-Euler approach; CFD

Domaines: Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]

Wenchao Yu, Pascal Fede, Mahdi Yazdanpanah, Benjamin Amblard, Florian Euzenat, et al.. Gas-solid fluidized bed simulations using the filtered approach: Validation against pilot-scale experiments. Chemical Engineering Science, 2020, 217, pp.115472. ⟨10.1016/j.ces.2020.115472⟩. ⟨hal-02502908⟩