Innovative Fluidization Technologies for Green Processes

绿色工艺的创新流化技术

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-04827
• 负责人: Zhang, Lifeng
• 金额: $ 2.4万
• 依托单位: University of Saskatchewan
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=746788
• 关键词: Innovative; Fluidization; Technologies; Green; Processes

INTRODUCTION: Fluidized bed drying is widely used for drying processes in the pharmaceutical, fertilizer, food, agriculture, and petrochemical industries. However, this energy-intensive process requires design and operation solutions to minimize its energy consumption and environmental footprint. Fluidized beds have been used as effective vehicles to convert biomass into green energy. Particle mixing and segregation plays an important role in the overall process efficiency of fluidized bed reactors. This research program will develop innovation solutions to enhance the drying performance by introducing pulsed gas flow. In addition, synchrotron-based X-ray imaging will be used to reveal new information within fluidized beds to further improve energy conversion. OBJECTIVES: Specific short-term objectives are to: 1) Investigate the effect of pulsed flow on bubbling and drying behaviour of pharmaceutical particles in a fluidized bed dryer; 2) Develop mathematical models and numerical simulations of drying processes using computational fluid dynamics (CFD); and 3) Investigate mixing and segregation of binary mixtures involving biomass materials in fluidized beds via novel synchrotron-based X-ray imaging techniques. METHODS: Efforts will first be placed on investigating drying and bubbling behaviour of pharmaceutical powders in a pulsation-assisted fluidized bed dryer (Objective 1). Drying experiments will be conducted in a conical fluidized bed dryer equipped with an electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) system available at the UofS. Drying rate will be measured and correlated with bubbling data collected. CFD, an advanced modeling and numerical simulation tool, will be employed to simulate the drying process with/without pulsed flow (Objective 2). Both the drying rate and bubbling behaviour determined from the experiments will be used to validate numerical simulations. In parallel, synchrotron-based X-ray computed tomography (CT) will be employed to investigate mixing and segregation of binary mixtures involving biomass pellets in a fluidized bed (Objective 3). The comprehensive knowledge obtained will improve operation of a fluidized bed gasifier. IMPACT: The proposed research program will produce comprehensive knowledge of enhanced fluidized bed drying processes for pharmaceutical applications with pulsed gas flow. Based on the outcomes of the work, an optimized operation envelope will be provided to achieve a reduction in energy use and environmental footprint associated with this unit operation. Detailed information about mixing and segregation under various operating conditions will inform efficient operation of fluidized bed reactors for various thermal processes with an aim to produce clean energy from renewable biomass resources, particularly pellet fuels. My long-term objective is to expand the research program to benefit other drying processes in fertilizer, food, mining, and agricultural industries.

简介：流化床干燥广泛应用于制药、化肥、食品、农业和石化行业的干燥过程。然而，这种能源密集型工艺需要设计和运营解决方案，以最大限度地减少能源消耗和环境足迹。流化床已被用作将生物质转化为绿色能源的有效载体。颗粒混合和分离对于流化床反应器的整体工艺效率起着重要作用。该研究计划将开发创新解决方案，通过引入脉冲气流来提高干燥性能。此外，基于同步加速器的X射线成像将用于揭示流化床内的新信息，以进一步改善能量转换。目标：具体的短期目标是： 1) 研究脉冲流对流化床干燥器中药物颗粒的鼓泡和干燥行为的影响； 2）利用计算流体动力学（CFD）开发干燥过程的数学模型和数值模拟； 3) 通过基于同步加速器的新型 X 射线成像技术研究流化床中涉及生物质材料的二元混合物的混合和分离。方法：首先将致力于研究脉动辅助流化床干燥机中药粉的干燥和鼓泡行为（目标 1）。干燥实验将在锥形流化床干燥机中进行，该干燥机配备南卡罗来纳大学提供的电容断层扫描 (ECT) 系统。将测量干燥速率并将其与收集的鼓泡数据相关联。 CFD 是一种先进的建模和数值模拟工具，将用于模拟有/无脉冲流的干燥过程（目标 2）。实验确定的干燥速率和鼓泡行为将用于验证数值模拟。与此同时，基于同步加速器的 X 射线计算机断层扫描 (CT) 将用于研究流化床中涉及生物质颗粒的二元混合物的混合和分离（目标 3）。获得的综合知识将改善流化床气化炉的运行。影响：拟议的研究计划将产生有关脉冲气流制药应用的增强型流化床干燥工艺的全面知识。根据工作成果，将提供优化的运营范围，以减少与该装置运营相关的能源使用和环境足迹。有关各种操作条件下混合和分离的详细信息将为各种热过程的流化床反应器的高效运行提供信息，旨在从可再生生物质资源（特别是颗粒燃料）生产清洁能源。我的长期目标是扩大研究项目，使化肥、食品、采矿和农业行业的其他干燥过程受益。