CARPET 3:
Modeling of Fluidized bed reactors

Objectives:

To develop a mathematical framework based on kinetic theory for the simulation of reactive systems in fluidized bed reactors.

A 3D dynamic model will be implemented in a program code and applied to a real chemical process like catalytic cracking of oil for the production of gasoline, or for the catalytic Fischer-Tropsch processes.

The work will focus on the description of the coupling between flow phenomena and chemical kinetics and mass- and heat transfer processes in operating fluidized bed reactors. The numerical model will be validated against experimental data obtained in our own lab.

Background:

The existing Fluidized bed reactor models based on kinetic theory are still on an early stage and further development is needed. The present multi-phase flow program codes contain many uncertain closure schemes, constitutive laws and model concepts.

It has thus become necessary to carry out a critical evaluation of the various model formulations available aiming to achieve a proper description of Fluidized bed reactors.

Furthermore, this type of reactor models has to some extent been applied by the industry to simulate fluidized bed reactors, and it is generally believed that the role of CFD in future design of chemical reactors will increase substantially. However, the real achievements describing operating fluidized bed reactors containing a chemical reacting system with such a complex model compared to the simpler traditional dispersion models is strictly not proven yet.

Scope of work:

Formulate and analyze the physics for general granular flow situations in fluidized bed reactors containing multi-component mixtures in operating industrial reactors so that the various flow regimes in these reactors can be studied by use of the same numerical framework.

The doctor study will focus on the application of the reactor model to real reactive systems evaluating the achievements gained by such complex models.

The goal of the work is a numerical model implemented in a program code applicable to fluidized bed reactors in general.

PhD student:

Håvard Lindborg

Affiliation:

NTNU, Department of Chemical Engineering.

Supervisors:

Hugo A. Jakobsen in collaboration with Stein T. Johansen, Harald Laux , and Magne Lysberg.