Resumo em Inglês:

In this work a model was developed to describe the dynamic behavior of fluid and particles in pneumatic conveying. The object-oriented simulation (OOS) technique was applied, which allowed a discrete, deterministic and transient treatment for the particulate phase. The fluid phase was modeled assuming a pseudo two-dimensional flow, separated from the particulate phase. The dynamic effects coupling both phases were taken into account in the interaction terms as the drag force acting on the particles and the momentum generation in the fluid phase. The model presented in this work considers bidirectional coupling of the particulate and fluid phases and tridimensional movement of the particles. The properties of the object-oriented technique allow the simulation of polydispersed mixtures, permitting segregation studies in pneumatic conveying.

Resumo em Inglês:

Conservation of the bubble size distribution function was applied to the reactive absorption of carbon dioxide in a bubble column reactor. The model developed was solved by the method of characteristics and by a Monte Carlo method. Simulations were carried out using simplified models for the liquid phase and for the gas-liquid mass transfer. Predictions of gas holdup and outlet gas composition showed that the concept of a mean bubble diameter is not applicable when the bubble size distribution is reasonably polydispersed. In these cases, the mass mean velocity and the numerical mean velocity of the bubbles are very different. Therefore, quantification of the polydispersion of bubbles was shown to be essential to gas-phase hydrodynamics modeling.

Resumo em Inglês:

Results gathered from the literature on the dynamics of bubbles in liquid are correlated by means of a formulation traditionally employed to describe the dynamics of isometric solid particles. It is assumed that the shape of the bubble depends, by means of the Eotvos number, on its diameter and on the gas-liquid surface tension. The analysis reported herein includes the dynamics of the isolated bubble along with wall and concentration effects. However, the effects of gas circulation in the bubble, which result in terminal velocities higher than those of a rigid sphere, are not being considered. A limited number of experimental points are obtained employing a modified version of the Mariotte flask which permits the precise measure of bubble volume. A classic bubble column is also employed in order to measure gas holdup in the continuous phase. Experiments were carried out employing air, with distilled water, potable water, water with variable amounts of surfactant and glycerin as the liquid phase.

Resumo em Inglês:

In operations using spouted beds, it is of major importance, from an energy consumption point of view, to operate the process as close as possible to the minimum spout flow. At this point, the speed of the gas (for example, warm air in drying operations) is greater than the amount of heat and mass transfer involved, although it only transfers the minimum amount of momentum to maintain the spout. Therefore, by staying close to this minimum flow condition, it is possible to perform a stable operation and to obtain energy savings not only in the heating of the gas but also in its displacement by blowers. In order to improve the operation of such processes, a study is carried out by implementing a simple optimizing control structure on a spouted bed experimental set-up. The air flow is regulated by a frequency inverter, at the speed of blower rotation. A PI controller was used and the set-point for the air flow rate is calculated on-line by a simple and well-known minimization method called Golden Section Search. This set-point is constantly updated with values very close to the actual minimum spout flow rate. To accomplish the calculations and data acquisitions, a microcomputer with an interface and an analog signal conditioner is used .

Resumo em Inglês:

A new steady state model for the fluidized bed reactor and a physicochemical characterization model were developed for the simulation of polyethylene production using gas-phase technology. The association of these models was done in order to predict the characteristics of the polymer produced in the fluidized bed reactor (molecular weight, polydispersity, melt index, and other characteristics) throughout the reactor and also to predict the growth of the polymer particle.

Resumo em Inglês:

The drag coefficient, CD, was experimentally determined during sedimentation of aerosol particles in air flowing horizontally in a conduit of rectangular cross section, and its relation to the Reynolds numbers for the particle, Rep, and the conduit, Rec, was found. The method used to obtain the frictional force on the particles is based on observation of the trajectories of the particles being deposited on the bottom wall of the conduit. The diameter (dp) and point of deposition of the particles were determined by examining small glass slides distributed along the floor of the apparatus at given positions. The diameter of particles adhering to these laminae can be observed by microscope, but a factor must then be applied to convert these values to the diameters in suspension (dp), since the particles are liquid and undergo flattening as they collect on the glass. Results were compared with the aerodynamic diameter of the particle, obtained independently, and the discrepancies that appeared will need to be investigated further. The velocity profiles of the air inside the apparatus were also recorded. A correlation of the form CD = f(Rep, Rec) is proposed.

Resumo em Inglês:

The objective of this work is to study the effect of confining walls on the free settling of spherical particles along the axes of five vertical cylindrical tubes in Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids. Experimental results were predominantly obtained in the particle flow region between the Stokes and the Newton regimes (intermediate region) and displayed Reynolds numbers in the ranges 0.7<Re<311 for aqueous glycerine solutions and 0.2<Re<340 for aqueous carboximethilcellulose solution considering the range of 0<<FONT FACE="Symbol">b</font><0.55. These results allowed to analyze the procedure for estimating vt<FONT FACE="Symbol">¥ </font>as a function of b based on vt data and present correlations for estimating the wall effects on the fall of spheres in Newtonian liquids as well as for the characteristic shear rate of spheres in non-Newtonian fluids.

Resumo em Inglês:

In this work, the Monte Carlo method (MC) was extended to simulate the packing and segregation of particles subjected to a gravitational field and confined inside rigid walls. The method was used in systems containing spheres inside cylinders. The calculation of void fraction profiles in both the axial and radial directions was formulated, and some results are presented. In agreement with experimental data, the simulations show that the packed beds present structural ordering near the cylindrical walls up to a distance of about 4 particle diameters. The simulations also indicate that the presence of the cylindrical wall does not seem to have a strong effect on the gravitational segregation phenomenon.

Resumo em Inglês:

Experimental results of fixed-bed heat-transfer experiments with no chemical reaction are presented and discussed. The runs were carried out in a tubular integral reactor heated by an electrical furnace at temperatures in the range of 100 to 500°C. Experimental temperature profiles were determined for the electrical furnace, for the reactor wall, and for the fixed bed center. Industrial catalyst for the prereforming of hydrocarbons was employed as the packing material. The effects of process conditions (furnace temperature, gas flow rate) on the heat-transfer coefficients were evaluated. The experimental results were analyzed in terms of the external, wall, and internal thermal resistances, associated in series, and compared with model predictions. Under the conditions studied, the overall coefficient was mostly a function of the external effective heat-transfer coefficient. An alternative data treatment was proposed to determine the internal heat-transfer coefficient in fixed beds when wall temperature is not constant.

Resumo em Inglês:

Air flow through packed beds was analyzed experimentally under conditions ranging from those that reinforce the effect of the wall on the void fraction to those that minimize it. The packing was spherical particles, with a tube-to-particle diameter ratio (D/dp) between 3 and 60. Air flow rates were maintained between 1.3 and 4.44 m3/min, and gas velocity was measured with a Pitot tube positioned above the bed exit. Measurements were made at various radial and angular coordinate values, allowing the distribution of air flow across the bed to be described in detail. Comparison of the experimentally observed radial profiles with those derived from published equations revealed that at high D/dp ratios the measured and calculated velocity profiles behaved similarly. At low ratios, oscillations in the velocity profiles agreed with those in the voidage profiles, signifying that treating the porous medium as a continuum medium is questionable in these cases.

Resumo em Inglês:

Some applications of spouted beds have been limited by problems with spout stability. In order to overcome these limitations, research should be concentrated on describing the mechanism by which the spout is developed. This work presents a theoretical and experimental study to describe the effective solid stress distribution in the annular region of a conical spouted bed. From experimental observation, the failure state of the bed of particles at the outset of spouting is identified and related to fluid-particle properties and column dimensions. Linear and angular momentum balances for the solid phase are then formulated as a function of the bed failure state. The set of equations obtained is solved using numerical methods, and results regarding stress distribution, stability and spout shape are presented and discussed.