Gas-Solid Flow
A basic definition in gas solids flows is dilute and dense flows. A dilute flow is a gas-particle
flow in which the particle motion is controlled by the drag and lift forces on the particle. In a
dense flow, on the other hand, the particle motion is controlled primarily by particle-particle
collisions. Another important feature of gas-solid flows is coupling which is the interaction
between phases. If the gas affects the motion and temperature of the particles but the particles
do not change the gas velocity or thermal flow fields, then flow is one-way coupled. On the
other hand, if there is a mutual interaction between phases, the flow is two-way coupled. As an
example of coupling, consider hot particles being transported by a cold gas in a duct as shown
in 1. Assuming one-way coupling, the particle temperature decreases toward the gas
temperature while the gas temperature remains constant. With two-way coupling, the gas
temperature increases due to heat exchange with the particles and the rate of particle
temperature is reduced. Actually, all flows are two-way coupled, but for low particle
concentrations, the effect of the particles on the gas field may be negligible. Therefore, the
assumption of one-way coupling would be justified thereby simplifying the analysis of the flow
system.
Pneumatic transport is an important example of gas-solid flows because of its wide use in
industry to transport metal particles, grains, ores, cement, coal and other products not
susceptible to damage by contact with the pipe walls. The main advantage of pneumatic
transport is the flexibility of line location and the capability to tap the line at arbitrary locations.
The gas velocity for vertical transport has to exceed the settling (terminal) velocity of the
particles to maintain transport.
For horizontal pneumatic transport, various flow patterns are identified which depend on
several factors such as flow velocity and particle loading. The various flow patterns are shown
in 1. Homogeneous flow occurs when the velocity is sufficiently high to keep the particles in
suspension. Dune flow begins as the velocity is lowered and particles begin to settle out on the
wall forming a dense flow region with a pattern like sand dunes. The velocity at which particles
begin to settle out is called the saltation velocity. Further reduction in velocity leads to slug
flow where there are alternate regions where particles fill the pipe and where they are in
suspension. The flow behaves like slug flow of the gas-liquid flow regimes. Finally, with
further reduction in velocity the particles become packed in the pipe and form a packed
bed while the gas moves through the interstitial region between the particles. Even though the
particles fill the pipe there may still be a slow motion of the particle bed.
(a) Homogeneous Flow( )
(b) Dune Flow( )
(c) Slug Flow( )
(d) Packed Bed( )
Figure 1.
A typical variation in pressure drop with flow velocity is shown in Fig. 2. At high velocities
(in the homogeneous flow regime), the pressure drop varies with nearly the square of the
velocity as with a single-phase flow. The pressure drop for the particle-laden flow is higher
because the particles lose momentum on contact with the wall and the pressure loss increases
with increased particle concentration and gas-particle velocity difference (more momentum
loss at the wall). The increase in pressure gradient corresponds to a two-way coupling effect.
There are several empirical formulations available in the literature to estimate the pressure drop
due to the particulate phase.
Figure 2.
As the velocity is reduced to the saltation velocity, the cross-sectional area for the flow is
reduced because of the deposits on the wall. The effective flow velocity is increased and the
pressure loss is higher. To avoid deposition, higher pressure loss and possible plugging, the
pneumatic system should be designed with velocities exceeding the saltation velocity of the
slug flow regime. Various empirical expressions for saltation velocity and friction factors for
pressure drop due to the solid phase can be found in Klinzing (1981).
The Fluidized Bed is another important example of a gas-solids flow and is a key element in
many chemical processes, particularly coal gasification, combustion and liquification.
Fluidized beds are also used for roasting ores and for the disposal of organic, biological and
toxic wastes. In essence, the fluidized bed consists of a vertical cylinder loaded with particles
and supplied with a gas through a distributor plate in the bottom of the cylinder. As the gas
flow is increased the bed goes through several flow regimes (Hetsroni, 1982) as shown in 3.
At low flow rates, there is no significant motion of the particles as the gas passes through a
packed bed. With increasing gas flow, a point is reached where the particles are just supported
by the hydrodynamic forces which is called particulate fluidization. Further increase in gas
velocity leads to the formation of bubbles (region of low particle concentration) which move
upward in the bed and enhance mixing. With more gas flow, the bubbles grow to fill the tube
and the slug flow regime is realized and is similar to the slug flow pattern in vertical gas-liquid
flows. As the gas flow rate is further increased clusters of particles move about the field in an
irregular fashion. Finally, at the highest gas flow rate, clusters move up the tube and out, with
some downward motion near the wall, so the particles have to be reintroduced at the bottom.
This condition is called fast fluidization. Thus, the fluidized bed has a range of flow regimes
from dense to dilute flows. The fluidized bed is attractive as a reactor because the gas is exposed
to a large solids surface area to enhance surface reactions and heat transfer. Also, the bed
operates at a nearly uniform temperature which provides control of the reaction rates.
Depending on the application, heat exchanger tubes may be located in the bed itself. The flow
in a fluidized bed is very complex and difficult to scale up from bench scale to prototype
operation.
Figure 3.
Liquid-Solid Flow