Study of wall-to-bed heat transfer in a bubbling fluidised bed using the kinetic theory of granular flow

Research into heat transfer modelling in fluidised beds is very limited due to its complexity. The kinetic theory of granular flow (KTGF) has been applied successfully to hydrodynamic modelling in the past but its application in heat transfer modelling has not been tested extensively. A two-fluid Eulerian-Eulerian model has been carried out applying the KTGF to a wall-to-bed reactor. The local heat transfer coefficients are compared against experimental data for two drag models, namely the Gidaspow and the Syamlal-O'Brien drag models. Furthermore, a parametric study is carried out for a variety of coefficients of restitution, particle diameter sizes and inlet velocities. Near wall analysis is carried out in both dense and dilute regions. Both drag models detect the passage of the bubble reasonably well but they predict the complete transition of the bubble past the sensors occurs at slightly different times. The heat transfer coefficients obtained with the Syamlal-O'Brien model showed more local fluctuations than the Gidaspow model because the Syamlal-O'Brien models was developed based on the particle terminal velocities which would indicate a slight sensitivity to a microscopic scale. Extension of the simulation for a longer period makes it possible to reveal that a periodic distribution occurred after 1.5 s and the local heat transfer coefficients gradually reduced to agree better with the experimental results which were previously over estimated. The study shows that a regular dynamic pattern is established in the bubbling fluidised bed only after 1.5-2 s. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.