Fluidization of biomass particles is an important process in the gasification, pyrolysis and combustion in order to extract energy from biomass. Studies on the fluidization of biomass particles (corn cob and walnut shell), inert particles (sand, glass bead, and alumina), which are added to facilitate fluidization of biomass, and biomass/sand mixture were performed. Experiments were carried out in a 14.5 cm internal diameter cold flow fluidization bed to determine minimum fluidization velocities with air as fluidizing medium. On the of basis of experimental data from both present work and those found in the literature, new correlations were developed to predict minimum fluidization velocity for inert particles as well as biomass particles. It was found that the proposed correlations satisfactorily predict minimum fluidization velocities and was in well agreement with experimental data. Furthermore, effect of weight percentage of biomass in the biomass/sand mixtures was studied. The weight fraction of biomass particles in the mixture was chosen in the range of 0 ~ 100 wt. %. The results show that minimum fluidization velocity of the mixtures increases with an increase in biomass content. Using the present experimental data, a new correlation was developed in terms of mass ratio for predicting values of minimum fluidization velocity of these mixtures. However, the validity of the proposed correlation should be further studied by conducting more experiments using the biomass/sand mixtures of different particle size, shape, and density.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling was used to predict the gas-solid hydrodynamics of fluidized beds. An Eulerian-Eulerian multi-fluid model and granular kinetic theory were used to simulate fluidization and to capture the complex physics associated therewith. The commercial code ANSYS FLUENT was used to study two-dimensional single solids phase glass bead and walnut shell fluidized beds. Current modeling codes only allow for modeling of spherical, uniform-density particles. Owing to the fact that biomass material, such as walnut shell, is abnormally shaped and has non-uniform density, a study was conducted to find the best modeling approach to accurately predict pressure drop, minimum fluidization velocity, and void fraction in the bed. Furthermore, experiments have revealed that all of the bed mass does not completely fluidize due to agglomeration of material between jets in the distributor plate. It was shown that the best modeling approach to capture the physics of the biomass bed was by correcting the amount of mass present in the bed in order to match how much material truly fluidizes experimentally, whereby the initial bed height of the system is altered. The approach was referred to as the SIM approach. A flow regime identification study was also performed on a glass bead fluidized bed to show the distinction between bubbling, slugging, and turbulent flow regimes by examining void fraction contours and bubble dynamics, as well as by comparison of simulated data with an established trend of standard deviation of pressure versus inlet gas velocity. Modeling was carried out with and without turbulence modeling (k-ϵ), to show the effect of turbulence modeling on two-dimensional simulations. / Master of Science

Numerical modeling and prediction techniques are used to determine pressure drop, minimum fluidization velocity and segregation for bubbling fluidized beds. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code Multiphase Flow with Interphase eXchange (MFIX) is used to study a two-stage reactor geometry with a binary mixture. MFIX is demonstrated to accurately predict pressure drop versus inlet gas velocity for binary mixtures. A new method is developed to predict the pressure drop versus inlet gas velocity and minimum fluidization velocity for multi-component fluidized beds. The mass accounting in the stationary system (MASS) method accounts for the changing bed composition during the fluidization process by using a novel definition for the mass fractions of the bed not yet fluidized. Published experimental data for pressure drop from single-, binary- and ternary-component fluidized bed systems are compared to MFIX simulations and the MASS method, with good agreement between all three approaches. Minimum fluidization velocities predicted using correlations in the literature were compared with the experimental data, MFIX, and the MASS method. The predicted minimum fluidization velocity from the MASS method provided very good results with an average relative error of ±4%. The MASS method is shown to accurately predict when complex multi-component systems of granular material will fluidize. The MASS method and MFIX are also used to explore the occurrence and extent of segregation in multi-component systems. The MASS method and MFIX are both shown to accurately predict the occurrence and extent of segregation in multi-component systems. / Master of Science

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2019-03-13T13:12:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dionisson de Andrade Michelotto_.pdf: 2807252 bytes, checksum: 019edcb4e2819bea433fa3dde1057c15 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2019-03-13T13:12:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dionisson de Andrade Michelotto_.pdf: 2807252 bytes, checksum: 019edcb4e2819bea433fa3dde1057c15 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-10-26 / CNPQ – Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / O impacto ambiental ocasionado pela combustão do carvão mineral em máquinas térmicas estimula buscas de alternativas sustentáveis. Uma das alternativas pode ser a substituição do carvão pela biomassa em reatores de leito fluidizado. A velocidade mínima de fluidização das partículas é um parâmetro fluidodinâmico que influencia fortemente o comportamento em projetos de reatores de leito fluidizado. A maioria das pesquisas utiliza como um dos principais parâmetros em suas correlações a esfericidade. Outros estudos afirmam que a razão de aspecto influencia bastante a velocidade mínima de fluidização. Utilizando um reator de leito fluidizado com distribuidor de placa perfurada, partículas de bambu cilíndricas com razões de aspecto de 2, 4 e 6, pertencente ao grupo D da classificação Geldart, foram fluidizadas. Nos resultados experimentais foi possível observar que a razão de aspecto influência na velocidade mínima de fluidização, quanto maior a razão de aspecto, maior a velocidade. Os resultados foram comparados com outros autores, onde cinco ficaram suficientemente próximos dentro de uma variação de 20% dos valores obtidos nos experimentos. Como a fluidização se comportava tipo jorro, foi comparado com correlações de jorro, onde uma única correlação ficou com variação em torno de 20% dos valores obtidos nos experimentos, enquanto as outras correlações ficaram com diferenças maiores. Uma nova correlação foi proposta modificando-se a equação de Ergun através da substituição da esfericidade pela razão de aspecto e ajustando seus coeficientes. Nesta nova correlação os valores da velocidade mínima de fluidização calculados ficaram próximos aos resultados experimentais dentro de uma variação de 15%. / The environmental impact caused by the combustion of mineral coal in thermal plants stimulates researches for sustainable alternatives. One of the alternatives may be the replacement of coal by biomass in fluidized bed reactors. The particle minimum fluidization velocity is a fluid dynamics parameter that strongly influences the behavior in fluidized bed reactor designs. Most academic papers use the sphericity as one of the main parameters in their correlations. Other studies state that the aspect ratio greatly influences the minimum fluidization velocity. Using a fluidized bed reactor with perforated plate distributor, cylindrical bamboo particles with aspect ratios of 2, 4 and 6, belonging to group D of the Geldart classification, were fluidized. In the experimental results it was possible to observe that the aspect ratio influences the minimum fluidization velocity. The results were compared with other authors, where five were sufficiently close within a variation of 20% of the values obtained in the experiments. As fluidization behaved like a spout, it was compared with spout correlations, where a single correlation achieved differences below 20% than the values obtained in the experiments, while the other correlations obtained larger differences. A new correlation was proposed based in the Ergun equation replacing sphericity by the aspect ratio and adjusting its coefficients. In this new correlation the calculated minimum fluidization velocity values were close to the experimental results within a range of 15%.

Submitted by Nestor Proenza Perez null (nestor@feg.unesp.br) on 2016-07-25T14:02:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TESIS VERSÃO FINAL NESTOR PROENZA.pdf: 3806431 bytes, checksum: e67652e66d5b48b5104953feec776a66 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-07-28T12:09:11Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 perez_np_dr_guara.pdf: 3806431 bytes, checksum: e67652e66d5b48b5104953feec776a66 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-28T12:09:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 perez_np_dr_guara.pdf: 3806431 bytes, checksum: e67652e66d5b48b5104953feec776a66 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Neste trabalho foi realizada a caracterização física, geométrica e fluidodinâmica do bagaço de cana-de-açúcar visando o projeto e dimensionamento de um gaseificador de leito fluidizado borbulhante para pequena e média capacidade térmica (até 25 MW térmicos). As principais propriedades físicas e químicas como massa específica real, aparente e a granel, assim como os teores de umidade, cinzas, material volátil e carbono fixo presentes neste material foram determinadas aplicando normas vigentes para este tipo de resíduo. Também foi realizada uma caracterização geométrica através de técnicas de análise de imagens, determinando-se a esfericidade e razão de aspecto para todas as faixas de diâmetro de partículas estudadas, obtendo-se um valor médio de 0,39 no caso da esfericidade para o bagaço em seu estado natural. Através do estudo fluidodinâmico verificou-se que partículas de bagaço de cana com diâmetros característicos entre 0,59 – 9,5 mm não são fluidizáveis, apresentando uma tendência a coesão e formação de canais preferenciais. Foi constatado que o emprego dos modelos existentes até agora para a previsão da velocidade mínima de fluidização (Vmf), tanto para partículas de bagaço, quanto para misturas delas com material inerte, não preveem de forma adequada este parâmetro. Indicando erros entre 85% e mais de 100% em cada um desses caso, pelo que foram deselvolvidos dois novos modelos específicos para partículas de bagaço de cana e para misturas delas com areia, os quais previram com melhor exatidão os valores da (Vmf), com um erro máximo de 6,3%, para partículas de bagaço, e de até 30% para 88% das 25 condições experimentais testadas no caso de misturas. Conclui-se também que, para garantir uma boa fluidização, a fração em massa máxima de bagaço na mistura deve ser entre 2 - 5%. Uma nova metodologia é proposta baseada nos novos modelos desenvolvidos para a determinação da (Vmf), tornando possível o projeto e dimensionamento de gaseificadores de leito fluidizado borbulhante, sendo determinado que reatores trabalhando com misturas de bagaço e areia são 30% maiores que reatores empregando somente partículas de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar com uma eficiência a frio de 58,5%. / In this work is carried out a physical, geometric and fluid-dynamics characterization of sugarcane bagasse, aiming to design and sizing a bubbling fluidized bed gasifier for small and medium power (up to 25 MW thermal). The main physical and chemical properties as real density, bulk density and apparent density, as well as, the content of moisture, ash, volatile matter and fixed carbon present in the bagasse, were determined by applying the standars norms suitable for this type of residue. It was also made a geometric characterization by image analysis techniques, being determined the sphericity and aspect ratio for all diameter ranger of studied particles, obtaining an average value of 0.39 in the case of sphericity for bagasse in it is natural form. Through the fluid dynamic study it was found that bagasse particles with typical diameters between 0,59 – 9,5 mm are not fluidizable, showing a tendency to cohesion and formation of preferential channels. It has been found that the use of the existing models to date for determination of the minimum fluidization velocity for bagasse particles and for mixtures of them with inert, do not predict the right way this parameter, introduced errors of up to 85% to over 100% in both cases, therefore were developed two new models specifically for sugarcane bagasse particles and mixtures of them with sand, with a maximum error of 6.3% in the first case, and 30% for the 88% of the 25 experimental conditions tested in the case of mixtures. Concluding that to ensure a good fluidization, the maximum mass fraction of bagasse in the mixture should be between 2 - 5%. A new methodology is proposed based on the new models developed, making possible the design and dimensioning of the bubbling fluidized bed gasifier, determining that reactors working with mixtures of sugarcane bagasse and sand are 30% higher than reactors employing solely sugarcane bagasse particles, with a cold gas efficiency of 58.5%.