CFD Simulation of the Hydrodynamics in Three Phase Fluidized Bed Reactor: Effect of Particle Properties

The effect of particle properties on the flow behavior in the gas-liquid-solid bubble column was investigated by means of CFD simulation. Multi-fluid model and the kinetic theory of granular flow were employed. The particle diameters dp = 3 mm, 4 mm and 5 mm and particle densities ρp = 2,250 kg/m ³ , 2,450 kg/m ³ and 2,750 kg/m ³ were studied. The results showed that the particle size remarkably impacted on the hydrodynamic and the radial uniformity. For small particle, the flow behavior is very chaotic with less uniformity in the radial direction. The strong turbulent regime was obtained. The flow behavior becomes more uniform for large particle. The transition regime with low S.D. of flow behavior was observed. However, the particle density had less impact on the hydrodynamic and the radial uniformity distribution.