The influence of the distributor configuration on the mass transfer and bubble sizes in a 2-D FBR was studied for two types of distributor configurations: <ul><li> A novel multi-vortex (MV) distributor with tuyéres directed vertically and horizontally at different heights. </li><li> A standard perforated plate distributor (baseline). </li></ul> The ozone decomposition reaction over FCC catalyst was used as an indirect meas-ure of the interphase mass transfer in the bed. The ranged between 0.1 m/s and 0.35 m/s, with air as a fluidizing medium at ambient conditions. The MV distributor displayed a significant improvement in the conversion cies (χmeasured / χPFR). For all velocities an improvement of between 0% and 30% was measured (average improvement of 14.7%). At Uo ≤ 0.2 m/s the improvement distributed evenly about the mean improvement, with a minimum improvement of 10%. The Uc for the respective distributors were determined using absolute pressure fluctuations (baseline distributor) and visual observations (MV distributor) and it was found that the Uc for the MV distributor was lower than that for the baseline: <ul><li> Uc Baceline = 0.30 m/s.</li><li> Uc MV distributor = 0.25 m/s.</li></ul> The decrease in Uc indicated that the MV distributor induces faster onset of turbulent behaviour in the FBR which negates interphase mass transfer limitations in the FBR. The bubble sizes were measured visually and compared to a pressure signal decomposition technique. The bubble size growth for the MV distributor was estimated at .14 times that of the baseline. Two models were compared to the experimental results, the Kunii-Levenspiel three-phase model and the Thompson generalized bubble-turbulent model. The fitting parameters showed that the mass transfer for the MV distributor is significantly larger than that of the baseline. In addition the MV distributor decreased the axial dispersion in the FBR as Uo → Uoo, which improved the reactor performance to that of an ideal PFR. This phenomenon was observed at Uo > 0.33 m/s. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

No description available.

This thesis study is focused on experimentally investigating pump noise at design and off-design operations and its relations with pressure fluctuations. Small size pumps are placed in a semi-anechoic chamber and operated at various system conditions and various rotational pump speeds. Pump operational data, noise data and time dependent pressure data are recorded. Fast Fourier Transform spectra of noise and pressure data are compared. Coherence spectrum between sound pressure level and hydraulic pressures are obtained. Data processing, Fast Fourier Transform and cross correlation are conducted with specific software Soundbook SAMURAI. The experiments have indicated that system characteristics or pump size do not have any influence on the noise of pump. On the other hand, pump characteristics are found to be distinguishable by means of peak frequencies on the sound spectra which are proportional to blade passing frequency. Results of cross correlations also show that, pump outlet pressure is a more significant source of noise than pump inlet pressure.

Understanding the gas phase flow and transport of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in unsaturated zones is indispensable to develop effective environmental remediation strategies, to create precautions for fresh water protection, and to provide guidance for land and water resources management. Atmospheric pressure and water table fluctuations are two important natural processes at the upper and lower boundaries of the unsaturated zone, respectively. However, their significance has been neglected in previous studies. This dissertation systematically investigates their influence on the gas phase flow and transport of VOCs in soil and ground water remediation processes using analytically and numerically mathematical modeling. New semi-analytical and numerical solutions are developed to calculate the subsurface gas flow field and the gas phase transport of VOCs in active soil vapor extraction (SVE), barometric pumping (BP) and natural attenuation taking into account the atmospheric pressure and the water table fluctuations. The accuracy of the developed solutions are checked by comparing with published analytical solutions under extreme conditions, newly developed numerical solutions in COMSOL Multiphysics and field measured data. Results indicate that both the atmospheric pressure and the tidal-induced water table fluctuations significantly change the gas flow field in active SVE, especially when the vertical gas permeability is small (less than 0.4 Darcy). The tidal-induced downward moving water table increases the depth-averaged radius of influence (ROI) for the gas pumping well. However, this downward moving water table leads to a greater vertical pore gas velocity away from the gas pumping well, which is unfavorable for removing VOCs. The gas flow rate to/from the barometric pumping well can be accurately calculated by our newly developed solutions in both homogeneous and multi-layered unsaturated zones. Under natural unsaturated zone conditions, the time-averaged advective flux of the gas phase VOCs induced by the atmospheric pressure and water table fluctuations is one to three orders of magnitude less than the diffusive flux. The time-averaged advective flux is comparable with the diffusive flux only when the gas-filled porosity is very small (less than 0.05). The density-driven flux is negligible.

Orientador: Arai Augusta Bernardez Pecora / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T08:27:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TolozaQuintero_JairoAlonso_M.pdf: 4116622 bytes, checksum: 1cf8e68431886cf25971810a0e1ae99b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: A tecnologia de leito fluidizado circulante vem sendo desenvolvida até hoje para uma variedade de processos industriais oferecendo características fortemente desejáveis como: uniformidade da temperatura, ótimo contato gás-sólido, elevadas taxas de transferência de calor e massa entre gás e partículas, capacidade de processamento maior e mais eficiente em comparação com outras tecnologias envolvendo a combustão de sólidos particulados como carvão, resíduos e biomassas. Uma série de experimentos foi realizada em um leito fluidizado circulante (LFC) instalado no Laboratório de Processos Térmicos e Engenharia Ambiental (PROTEA) da UNICAMP com o objetivo de avaliar a influência de parâmetros operacionais sobre o tempo de resposta das medidas de pressão estática ao longo do circuito principal do LFC. Para a medida da pressão estática no leito, foi desenvolvido um sistema automático de chaveamento que envolve placa eletrônica de controle de válvulas solenóides, transdutor de pressão, placa de aquisição de dados e um computador. A temperatura média da coluna principal durante os experimentos estava ao redor de 110 °C e partículas de areia quartzosa com diâmetro médio de 312 µm foram utilizadas como material sólido. O circuito principal do LFC é composto por coluna principal (4 m de comprimento e 0,102 m de diâmetro interno), ciclone, válvula de amostragem, coluna de retorno, e válvula de recirculação de sólidos tipo L. Os regimes de fluidização e a concentração dos sólidos ao longo da coluna principal foram avaliados através das medidas de pressão média fornecidas pelo sistema automático de chaveamento em 14 tomadas de pressão estática instaladas na parede do circuito principal do LFC. Foram estudadas as influências de duas variáveis de operação: Velocidade superficial do gás (0,7 a 6 m/s) e inventário de sólidos (6 a 10 Kg). O estudo da influência dessas variáveis nos diferentes perfis axiais de pressão e porosidade permitiu a avaliação da transição dos regimes de fluidização para o sistema estudado. O trabalho também apresenta a análise das flutuações de pressão obtidas em três diferentes posições do sistema de LFC, o que permitiu a obtenção de velocidades de transição entre regimes de fluidização. / Abstract: Circulating fluidized bed technology has been developed so far in a variety of industrial processes offering highly desirable characteristics such as: temperature uniformity, optimum gas-solid contact, good heat and mass transfer, higher and more efficient processing capacity compared to other technologies concerning process like coal combustion. A series of experiments were conducted in a Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) installed at the Laboratory of Thermal Processes and Environmental Engineering (PROTEA) at UNICAMP. A switching automatic system was developed for static pressure measurements in the CFB loop using remote control. The automatic system is composed of an electronic control card for solenoid valves, pressure transducer, data acquisition board and a computer. The average temperature of the main column during the experiments was around 110 °C and Geldart B particles were used as solid material. The CFB loop is composed by a main column (4 m length and 0.102 m internal diameter), cyclone, sampling valve, standpipe and a solids circulation device called L-valve. Pressure profiles along the riser were settled by the static pressure measurement given by the switching automatic system involving 14 static pressure taps installed in the wall of the loop CFB. The influence of superficial gas velocity (0.7 to 6 m/s) and solids inventory (6 to 10 kg) on the CFB dynamics was verified using the automatic system. This work presents pressure and voidage profiles in the CFB system as a function of superficial gas velocity and solids inventory. Results allow the identification of the transition between transport regime and fast fluidization regime through the identification of the S-shape voidage profile. / Mestrado / Termica e Fluidos / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

This paper presents the results of stator clocking investigations at a design point and an operating point near the stability limit in a low-speed research compressor (LSRC). The unsteady flow field of the LSRC at several clocking configurations was investigated using a three-dimensional unsteady, viscous solver. The unsteady pressure on the rotor blades at midspan (MS) was measured using time-resolving piezoresistive miniature pressure transducers. The effect of clocking on the unsteady pressure fluctuation at MS on the rotor blades is discussed for different operating points. Based on the unsteady profile pressures, the blade pressure forces were calculated. The peak-to-peak amplitudes of the unsteady blade pressure forces are presented and analysed for different clocking positions at both the design point and the operating point near the stability limit of the compressor.

This thesis presents the use of an unsteady total pressure measurement to detect laminar-to-turbulent transition. A miniature dynamic pressure transducer, Kulite model XCS-062-5D, was utilized to measure the total pressure fluctuations, and was integrated with an autonomous boundary layer measurement device that can withstand flight test conditions. Various sensor-probe configurations of the Kulite pressure transducer were first examined in a wind tunnel with a 0.610 m (2.0 ft) square test section with a maximum operational velocity of 49.2 m/s (110 mph), corresponding dynamic pressure of 1.44 kPa (30 psf). The Kulite sensor was placed on an elliptical nose flat plate where the flow was known to be turbulent. The Kulite sensor was then evaluated to measure total pressure fluctuations in laminar, turbulent, and transition of boundary layers developed on the flat plate in the same wind tunnel. The root-mean-square value of total pressure fluctuations was less than 1 % of the local free-stream dynamic pressure in the laminar boundary layer, but was about 2 % in the turbulent boundary layer. The value increased to 4 % in transition, indicating that the total pressure fluctuation measurements can be used not only to distinguish the laminar boundary layer from the turbulent boundary layer, but also to identify the transition region. The unsteady total pressure measurement was also conducted in a with a 2.13 m (7.0 ft) by 3.05 m (10.0 ft) section with similar operational velocity range as the previous wind tunnel. The Kulite sensor was placed on a wing model under laminar and transition conditions. The testing yielded similar results, demonstrating the usefulness of total pressure measurement for identifying the laminar-to-turbulent transition.

Biomass is considered a biorenewable alternative energy resource that can potentially reduce the use of natural gas and provide low cost power production or process heating needs. Biomass hydrodynamics in a fluidized bed are extremely important to industries that are using biomass material in gasfication processes to yield high quality producer gas. However, biomass particles are typically difficult to fluidize due to their peculiar shape and a second inert material, such as sand, is typically added to the bed. The large differences in size and density between the biomass and inert particles lead to nonuniform distribution of the biomass within the fluidized bed, and particle interactions and mixing become major issues. The main goal of this research was to use CFD as a tool for modeling and analyzing the hydrodynamic behavior of biomassas a single material or as part of a mixture in a fluidized bed. The first part of this research focused on the characterization of biomass particles in a fluidized bed and validation of a numerical model with experimental results obtained from pressure measurements and CT and X-ray radiograph images. For a 2D fluidized bed of glass beads, the pressure drop, void fraction and mean bed height expansion were in quantitative agreement between the experiments and simulations using Syamlal-O'Brien and Gidaspow drag models. It was encouraging that the Gidaspow model predictions were in close agreement because the model does not require knowing the minimum fluidization as an input. Ground walnut shells were used to represent biomass because the material fluidizes uniformly and is classified as a Geldart type B particle. Two-dimensional simulations of ground walnut shells were analyzed to determine parameters that cannot easily be measured experimentally. The parametric study for ground walnut shell indicated that the material can be characterized with a medium sphericity (~0.6) and a relatively large coefficient of restitution (~0.85). In the second part of this work numerical simulations of a ground walnut shell fluidizing bed with side air injection were compared to CT data for the gas-solid distribution to demonstrate the quantitative agreement for bed fluidization. The findings showed that 2D simulations overpredicted the fluidized bed expansion and the results did not demonstrate a uniformly fluidizing bed. The 3D simulations compared well for all cases. This study demonstrates the importance of using a 3D model for a truly 3D flow in order to capture the hydrodynamics of the fluidized bed for a complicated flow and geometry. Finally, CFD modeling of pressure fluctuations was performed on sand and cotton-sand fluidized beds operating at inlet velocities ranging from 1.0-9.0Umf with the objective of predicting characteristic features of bubbling, slugging, and turbulent fluidization regimes. It was determined that the fluidized bed can be modeled using MUSCL discretization and the Ahmadi turbulence model. Three-dimensional sand fluidized beds were simulated for different fluidization regimes. Fluidized beds for all the regimes behaved as second-order dynamic systems. Bubbling fluidized beds showed one broad peak with a maximum at 2.6 Hz while slugging and turbulent showed two distinct peaks. It was observed that the peak at low frequency increased in magnitude as the flow transitioned from a slugging to a turbulent fluidization regime. CFD simulations of fluidized beds with the purpose of studying pressure fluctuations have demonstrated to be a useful tool to obtain hydrodynamic information that will help determine the fluidization regime. Prediction of slugging and turbulent fluidization regimes using CFD have not been reported to date. The work presented here is the first of its kind and can be an important advantage when designing a reactor and evaluating different operation conditions without the need to test them in a pilot plant or a prototype. / Ph. D.

Orientadores: Osvaldir Pereira Taranto, Maria Regina Parise / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-15T00:14:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_CarlosAlexandreMoreirada_M.pdf: 7935958 bytes, checksum: a7eaf2f609aaa80966fa3a763933b3cf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo:A operação de fluidização tem sido muito utilizada em inúmeros processos industriais nos setores químicos, alimentício e farmacêutico em função das suas características vantajosas, que possibilitam um contato bastante efetivo entre a fase sólida e a fase fluida. No entanto, as condições de operação destes processos freqüentemente podem conduzir ao fenômeno de defluidização ou até ao colapso total do leito. A manutenção de condições estáveis do regime de fluidização durante processos de recobrimento de partículas em leitos fluidizados também é de fundamental importância, pois o excesso de umidade dentro do leito acaba levando à defluidização. O presente trabalho objetiva aplicar a metodologia de análise espectral Gaussiana dos sinais de flutuação de pressão para monitorar e controlar o fenômeno de defluidização do processo de recobrimento de celulose microcristalina em um leito fluidizado gás-sólido. O trabalho foi realizado em duas etapas: 1) monitoramento dos regimes de fluidização operantes durante a evolução do processo de recobrimento e 2) controle da vazão de ar e da vazão de suspensão utilizando-se controladores PI. Diferentes condições experimentais de massa de celulose, vazão de suspensão polimérica e excesso de velocidade do ar em relação à mínima fluidização na temperatura de 70°C foram estudadas. A evolução da freqüência média Gaussiana mostrou claramente as transições de regimes de fluidização durante o processo e possibilitou a definição de uma faixa de regime estável de 6,0 a 7,0 Hz, que foi empregada como setpoint range dos controladores para manipular os sinais de comando para o inversor de freqüência e para a bomba peristáltica. A aplicação do método de Åström e Hägglund permitiu a obtenção dos parâmetros do controlador PI para o inversor e o método da curva de reação proporcionou uma estimativa preliminar dos parâmetros do controlador PI para a bomba. Ensaios de recobrimento da celulose em malha fechada mostraram que a utilização de um sistema de controle permitiu obter melhores condições fluidodinâmicas do leito em relação ao processo sem controle. Embora quantidades equivalentes de suspensão tenham sido adicionadas em ambos os processos, o regime de fluidização operante com controle era do tipo borbulhante estável, enquanto que sem controle o regime era de leito fixo, mostrando que o objetivo do trabalho em manter condições mais estáveis de fluidização durante o processo foi atingido. / Abstract: The fluidization operation has been used extensively in many industrial processes in chemical, food and pharmaceutical branches, because of its advantageous characteristics that promote an effective contact between the solid and the fluid phases. However, the operational conditions of these processes frequently lead to the defluidization phenomenon or to the total collapse of the particles in the bed. The handling of stable conditions in the fluidization regime during fluidized bed coating processes is very important, because the moisture content excess can cause the defluidization of the bed. The objective of this present work is to apply the Gaussian spectral pressure distribution to monitor and to control the defluidization phenomenon in a fluidized bed coating process using microcrystalline cellulose as fluidizing particles. The work was performed in two stages: 1) monitoring of the fluidization regimes during the development of the coating process and 2) control of the airflow rate and of the coating suspension flow rate using PI controllers. The experiments were carried out varying solid particle mass, coating suspension flow rate and excess air velocity in relation to the minimum fluidization velocity in the temperature of 70ºC. The Gaussian mean frequency evolution showed the fluidization regime transitions and it allowed to define a band of stable regime (6.0 Hz to 7.0 Hz), which was used as a set-point range of the controllers to manipulate the signal of command for frequency inverter and for the peristaltic pump. The application of Åström e Hägglund method allowed obtaining the PI controller parameters to the inverter and the reaction curve method provided an initial guess of the PI controller parameters to the pump. The experiments of microcrystalline cellulose coating in closed-loop showed that the use of a control system allowed obtaining better fluid-dynamic conditions of the bed in relation to the without process control. Although equivalent amounts of suspension have been added to both processes, the fluidization regime with control was kept under bubbling stable, while without control the regime was that of a fixed bed, showing that in order to maintain more stable fluidization during the process was reached. / Mestrado / Engenharia de Processos / Mestre em Engenharia Química

An experimental investigation of the use low-cost microphones for unsteady total pressure measurement to detect transition from laminar to turbulent boundary layer flow has been conducted. Two small electret condenser microphones, the Knowles FG-23629 and the FG-23742, were used to measure the pressure fluctuations and considered for possible integration with an autonomous boundary layer measurement system. Procedures to determine the microphones’ maximum sound pressure levels and frequency response using an acoustic source provided by a speaker and a reference microphone. These studies showed that both microphones possess a very flat frequency response and that the max SPL of the FG-23629 is 10 Pa and the max SPL of the FG-23742 is greater than 23 Pa. Several sensor-probe configurations were developed, and the three best were evaluated in wind tunnel tests. Measurements of the total pressure spectrum, time signal, and the root-mean-square were taken in the boundary layer on a sharp-nose flat plate in the Cal Poly 2 foot by 2 foot wind tunnel at dynamic pressures ranging between 135 Pa and 1350 Pa, corresponding to freestream velocities of 15 m/s to 47 m/s. The pressure spectra were collected to assess the impact of the probe on the microphone frequency response. The two configurations with long probes showed peaks in the pressure spectra corresponding to the resonant frequencies of the probe. The root-mean-square of the pressure fluctuations did not vary much between the different probes. The root-mean-square of the pressure fluctuations collected in turbulent boundary layers were found to be 10% of the local freestream dynamic pressure and decreased to 3.5% as the freestream dynamic pressure was increased. The RMS of the pressure fluctuations taken in both laminar boundary layers and in the freestream varied between 0.5% and 2.5% of the local freestream dynamic pressure. The large difference between the RMS of the pressure fluctuations in laminar and turbulent boundary layers taken at low dynamic pressures suggests that this system is indeed capable of distinguishing between laminar and turbulent flow. The drop in the RMS of the pressure fluctuations as dynamic pressure increased is indicative of insufficient maximum sound pressure level of the microphone resulting in clipping of the pressure fluctuation; this is confirmed through inspection of the pressure time signal and spectrum. Thus, a microphone with higher maximum sound pressure level is needed for turbulence detection at higher dynamic pressures. Alternatively, it may be possible to attenuate the total pressure fluctuation signal.