A SIMPLE APPROACH TO NUMERICAL MODELING OF PROPANE COMBUSTION IN FLUIDIZED BEDS

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2009

Authors

Ribeiro, L (Author) Other; C. Pinho (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Chemical Engineering Communications

Vol. 196

Pages: 305-329

ISSN: 0098-6445

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 3 Citations

Scopus - 2 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-003-PCJ

DOI: 10.1080/00986440802359337

Abstract (EN): A mathematical model is proposed for the evolution of temperature, chemical composition, and energy release in bubbles, clouds, and emulsion phase during combustion of gaseous premixtures of air and propane in a bubbling fluidized bed. The analysis begins as the bubbles are formed at the orifices of the distributor, until they explode inside the bed or emerge at the free surface of the bed. The model also considers the freeboard region of the fluidized bed until the propane is thoroughly burned. It is essentially built upon the quasi-global mechanism of Hautman et al. (1981) and the mass and heat transfer equations from the two-phase model of Davidson and Harrison (1963). The focus is not on a new modeling approach, but on combining the classical models of the kinetics and other diffusional aspects to obtain a better insight into the events occurring inside a fluidized bed reactor. Experimental data are obtained to validate the model by testing the combustion of commercial propane, in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed, using four sand particle sizes: 400-500, 315-400, 250-315, and 200-250m. The mole fractions of CO2, CO, and O2 in the flue gases and the temperature of the fluidized bed are measured and compared with the numerical results.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 25