CFD simulation of barium carbonate precipitation in a fluidized bed reactor

• Published in: Chemical engineering research & design Vol. 88; no. 9; pp. 1206 - 1216
• Main Authors: Moguel, L. Fernández, Muhr, H., Dietz, A., Plasari, E.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-09-2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Carbonates; CFD; Chemical and Process Engineering; Chemical engineering; Computational fluid dynamics; Dissipation; Eddies; Engineering Sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Fluidization; Fluidized bed reactor; Fluidized beds; Hydrodynamics of contact apparatus; Mathematical models; Population balance equation; Precipitation; Reactors; CFD; MRF; PSD; Fluidized bed reactor; Precipitation; EDC; Population balance equation; EDM-MTS; EDM; Mixing; Turbulence; Computational fluid dynamics; Activity coefficient; Hydrodynamics; Supersaturation; Fluidization; Liquid phase; Reaction rate; Modeling; Population balance; Aggregation; Instantaneous reaction; Kinetics; Thermodynamic properties; Fluidized bed; Neutralization
• ISSN: 0263-8762; 1744-3563
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cherd.2010.02.006

CFD techniques are used to study the precipitation of barium carbonate in a solid–liquid fluidized bed reactor. Experimental analysis of the hydrodynamic behaviour for a neutralization reaction in the fluidized bed column, followed by CFD simulations is carried out using different reaction models. The Eddy Dissipation model, the Eddy Dissipation model-MTS and the Eddy Dissipation Concept micro-mixing models are tested in order to simulate the acid–base instantaneous reaction.
The modelling of the precipitation in a fluidized bed reactor is coupled with the Eddy Dissipation model-MTS micro-mixing model and the k-ɛ standard turbulence model. Barium carbonate is chosen as the model substance. The liquid phase reaction rate as well as the nucleation, growth and aggregation kinetics is included in the precipitation model. The discrete method is chosen to solve the population balance equation. The activity coefficient needed to calculate the supersaturation in the kinetic equations is determined using the Bromley's method. A good agreement is obtained between the experimental results and the CFD results.