Experimental study on flow characteristics of gas–solid two-phase flow in inclined pipes

In a fluid catalytic cracking unit, inclined pipes are mainly used for particle transportation and to maintain the pressure balance between the reactor and regenerator. In this experimental inclined pipe device, the characteristics of gas–solid two-phase flow were studied by measuring and analyzing the dynamic pressure and particle concentration parameters in different flow states. Corresponding relationships between pressure fluctuation and particle concentration on the one hand and flow patterns on the other were discovered. These were used for the quantitative identification of flow patterns. Measurement data from an analysis of bubble and particle velocities in an inclined pipe revealed a critical mass flow rate, Gs, in the mutual transformation of different particle flow patterns. The critical mass flow rate Gsc1 of lean-phase and dense-phase flows was 149 kg/(m2·s). The critical mass flow rate Gsc2 of packed-bed and dense-phase flows was 240 kg/(m2·s). This study enriches the basic theoretical knowledge on flow patterns in inclined pipes and provides a theoretical basis for the adjustment of inclined pipe operation in industrial fluid catalytic cracking units.