Bubble and particle dynamics in a thin rectangular bubbling fluidized bed under emulated marine instabilities

• Published in: Chemical engineering science Vol. 280; p. 119041
• Main Authors: Sarbanha, Ali Akbar, Larachi, Faïçal, Taghavi, Seyed Mohammad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 05.10.2023
• Subjects: Bubbling fluidized bed; Digital image analysis; Hydrodynamics; Marinization; Particle image velocimetry; Hydrodynamics; Marinization; Particle image velocimetry; Digital image analysis; Bubbling fluidized bed
• ISSN: 0009-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2023.119041

[Display omitted] •Observation of the hydrodynamics of bubbling fluidization subject to roll/pitch motion.•Excitation by a hexapod robot as a sea state emulator.•Implementation of PIV-DIA for Lagrangian/Eulerian analysis of bubbles/particles.•Escalation of fluidization operating instability with amplitude of the roll. Floating fluidized beds are affected by swell/sea waves, limiting their effectiveness in seagoing applications as an alternative to fixed beds for the removal of exhaust pollutants. To address this, experiments were conducted using a rectangular fluidized bed mounted on a hexapod to emulate marine operation. The bed was subjected to dynamic perturbations, and Digital Image Analysis and Particle Image Velocimetry were used to analyze the effects of motion on fluidization, bubble growth/shape, void/velocity fields, and gas/solids circulations. Our investigation showed that non-vertical orientations resulted in a decrease in minimum fluidization velocity, but the most significant effect was seen in the trajectory and shape of the bubbles near both static and dynamic walls. This resulted in a slug regime with a high degree of gas bypass. These outcomes have important implications for the design/operation of marinized fluidized beds, and for process intensification solutions to address the constraints associated with ship emissions.