C. Robertson, G. Duursma, M Crapper, S. Wong
6th International Conference on Multiphase Flow
Objects placed in a gas fluidized bed act as sites of bubble initiation. This has many practical implications for industrial processes, in particular the reduction in efficiency of heat transfer from the tube to the fluidized bed and increased erosion of the tube. Previous experimental work (Glass and Harrison 1964, Duursma et al 1994) has visiualized these bubbles, but modelling them in order to gain a fuller understanding of the processes involved has so far proved elusive.This paper describes the successful numerical modelling of obstacle induced bubble formation using commercially available software in the form of the EDEM-FLUENT Coupling Module, allowing Discrete Element Method to be used in conjunction with CFD modelling of fluid flow. Three drag models, simple Stokes drag, the Ergun equation and the di Felice approach were used for the transfer of momentum between fluid and solid phases, and, particularly with the latter two, good correspondence with previous experimental work was obtained.
CFD, dem, fluidization