Experimental and computational evaluation of a gas-solid suspension density distribution under circulating fluidized bed conditions

The paper presents the results of operational measurements of the suspension density distribution in the 966 MWth supercritical Circulating Fluidized Bed boiler. The tests were carried out for four different unit thermal loads, i.e. 40, 60, 80, and 100% MCR. The conducted operational measurements showed that the suspension density distribution of the particulate material in the combustion chamber of the CFB boiler has the form of an exponential curve with maximum values occurring in the bottom part of the furnace. On the basis of the operational data, an attempt was made to reflect the suspension density distribution in the combustion chamber of the boiler using the ANSYS CFD software. The calculations were carried out using the Eulerian multiphase model in an unsteady state condition. As revealed by the simulations, the Eulerian multiphase model allows for a quantitative representation of the suspension density distribution of the granular material only for the maximum boiler load. For other thermal loads, quantitative representation of experimental distributions of suspension density using the Eulerian method is possible except for the dense region.

Effect of Connection Resistance between Cyclones and Backpass on Furnace Solids Suspension Density Profile and Circulation Rates in CFB

The connection section between cyclones and backpass is an important configuration in multi-cyclone circulating fluidized bed boilers (CFB). In this work, the resistance coefficient of different connection modes, and connection resistance distribution from each cyclone outlet to backpass (connection branch) in one mode are defined and calculated, in order to investigate their effects on furnace solids suspension density distribution and circulation rates. Three connection modes with different overall resistance coefficients were tested experimentally and analyzed by a 1.5-dimensional model in a four-cyclone scaling CFB apparatus. Both experimental and theoretical results show that, with larger overall resistance of a connection, there are more solids suspended in the furnace bottom and fewer in the top section. The investigation of the C-type connection has revealed that when the branch resistance of the connection decreases from branch No. 1–4, the solids suspension density and circulation rate from corresponding solids recycle loops (No. 1–4) increase. Moreover, the non-uniformity of connection branch resistance distribution will lead to uneven lateral solids suspension density distribution and circulation rates allocation. This effect is enhanced by growing superficial velocity.

A comparative study of soil-water characteristic curves for compacted lateritic soil – bacillus coagulans mixtures

A comparative study of soil-water characteristic curves (SWCCs) for compacted lateritic soil ̶ Bacillus coagulans (B. coagulans) mixtures for municipal solid waste (MSW) application was studied. Soil treatment was performed at approximately about one-third pore volume of the microbes (i.e., B. coagulans) for suspension densities of 0, 1.5×108, 6.0×108, 1.2×109, 1.8×109 and 2.4×109cells/ml, correspondingly. Soil specimens were prepared at optimum moisture content (OMC) of British Standard light (BSL) compaction energy. Cementation reagent was applied on the compacted soil and permitted to penetrate until partial saturation was achieved. A set-up of pressure plate extractor was employed to measure the volumetric water content, θ (VWC) in the laboratory for varying matric suctions with a minimum of 10 kPa up to a maximum of 1,500 kPa. The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (UHC) and VWC were assessed using Brooks - Corey (BC) and Fredlund - Xing (FX) models. Largely, BC and FX models overrated the VWC. Also, the VWC decreased with higher matric suction for the two models considered and the laboratory measured values. The UHC predicted for matric suctions of 500 and 1,500 kPa initially decreased for B. coagulans suspension density up to 1.2×109 cells/ml for BC and FX models, with the exception of a few cases, but thereafter increased with increase in microbial density. For FX model at 1,500 kPa, UHC values of 2.42×10–9, 2.02×10–9, 9.31×10–10, 8.09×10–10 , 1.29×10–9 and 2.27×10–9m/s were recorded at 0, 1.5×108, 6.0×108, 1.2×109, 1.8×109 and 2.4×109cells/ml, respectively. In the case of BC model, values of 2.26×10–17, 1.41×10–14, 2.2×10–14, 4.6×10–19 , 3.25×10–17 and 2.45×10–14m/s were recorded at 0, 1.5×108, 6.0×108, 1.2×109, 1.8×109 and 2.4×109cells/ml, respectively. Thus, the FX model met the design maximum hydraulic conductivity value of 1 x 10–9 m/s requirement for MSW system when lateritic soil was treated with B. coagulans suspension density of 1.2×109 cells/ml, while the BC model satisfied the requirement for all the microbial densities considered and it is recommended for modelling of UHC of lateritic soil admixed with B. coagulans for MSW containment application.

Prediction Model of Suspension Density in the Dense Medium Separation System Based on LSTM

In the dense medium separation system of coal preparation plant, the fluctuation of raw coal ash and lag of suspension density adjustment often causes the instability of product quality. To solve this problem, this study established a suspension density prediction model for the dense medium separation system based on Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). First, the historical data in the dense medium separation system of a coal preparation plant were collected and preprocessed. Moving average and cubic exponential smoothing methods were used to replace abnormal data and to fill in the missing data, respectively. Second, a LSTM network was used to construct the density prediction model, and the optimal number of time steps, hidden layers, and nodes was determined. Finally, the model was employed on a testing set for prediction, and a Back-Propagation (BP) network without a time series was used for comparison. Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) were the minimum when the number of the hidden layers, nodes, and time steps was 6, 12, and 5, respectively. In this case, the RMSE and Mean Absolute Percent Error (MAPE) of the LSTM method were 0.009 and 0.007, respectively, while those of the BP method were 0.019 and 0.015, respectively. Therefore, the model established using LSTM can be used to accurately predict the suspension density of the dense medium separation system.

Evaluation of survival of Candida albicans on PVC surfaces in the test of yeasticidal activity of disinfectant

Introduction: Candida albicans survival tests on PCV carriers are necessary for the proper determination of the effectiveness yeasticidal activity of disinfectants. C. albicans is a pathogenic microorganism that causes fungal diseases and therefore its spread in the medical and non-medical areas should be limited by disinfection. Methods: Survival of C. albicans was estimated with using principles of PN-EN 16615 standard. Suspension of C. albicans with interfering substances (0,3 g/l bovine albumin) was dry on PCV carriers under a laminar chamber without fan, at the ambient temperature for no longer than 60 minutes. C. albicans was recovered from the carriers immediately after drying and after contact time (1; 5, 10, 20, 40; 60 minutes). Results: The drying conditions applied reduced the recovery of C. albicans from 1.21 to 2.07 on a logarithmic decimal scale with respect to the test suspension with interfering substances. The difference between the recovery immediately after drying and the recovery after the tested contact times (up to 60 minutes) was insignificant. Conclusions: Achieving the number of C. albicans after the drying process, as provided for in PN-EN 16615, requires further improvement of the drying conditions or an increase of C. albicans suspension density before drying.

Preparation of Theophylline-Benzoic Acid Cocrystal and On-Line Monitoring of Cocrystallization Process in Solution by Raman Spectroscopy

Pure theophylline-benzoic acid cocrystal was prepared via slurry and cooling crystallization in solution to overcome the disadvantages of existing preparation methods. The target cocrystal was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), thermalgravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Raman spectroscopy. The slurry and cooling cocrystallization process in solution was monitored via on-line Raman spectroscopy. The results obtained from on-line Raman monitoring can exhibit the transformation process from raw materials (theophylline and benzoic acid) to cocrystal and show the cocrystal formation rate. Comparing each transformation process under different conditions in slurry crystallization, we found that suspension density of raw materials and temperature both have an impact on the theophylline-benzoic acid cocrystal formation rate. It could be concluded that the cocrystal formation rate increased with the increase of suspension density of raw materials. Further under the same suspension density, higher temperature will accelerate theophylline-benzoic acid cocrystal formation. Meanwhile, various data from the cocrystallization process in cooling crystallization, including nucleation time, nucleation temperature and suitable cooling ending point can be gained from results of on-line Raman monitoring.

Hydrodynamic and combustion behavior of low grade coals in the riser of a circulating fluidized bed combustor

This study is conducted for understanding the fluidization behavior in a CFB combustor for low ranked coals. A lab-scale cold CFB test rig was built at the NFCIET Multan for understanding the fluidization behaviour. Influence of fluidizing air on the fluidization behavior was observed. It was found that voidage along the riser height is affected by riser geometry. The combustion behavior of low grade coals from Thar coal was also explored in a CFB Combustor. The influence of the fluidizing air on the combustion erformance was examined and their effect on emissions was established. The temperature in the riser of the CFB rose quickly to around 900°C. This rise in temperature has caused an increase in the amount of exhaust gasses which has their influence on the suspension density. From this study, a firsthand experience of combustion behavior of low grade Pakistani coals was documented.

A comparison of fuzzy logic and cluster renewal approaches for heat transfer modeling in a 1296 t/h CFB boiler with low level of flue gas recirculation

The interrelation between fuzzy logic and cluster renewal approaches for heat transfer modeling in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) has been established based on a local furnace data. The furnace data have been measured in a 1296 t/h CFB boiler with low level of flue gas recirculation. In the present study, the bed temperature and suspension density were treated as experimental variables along the furnace height. The measured bed temperature and suspension density were varied in the range of 1131-1156 K and 1.93-6.32 kg/m3, respectively. Using the heat transfer coefficient for commercial CFB combustor, two empirical heat transfer correlation were developed in terms of important operating parameters including bed temperature and also suspension density. The fuzzy logic results were found to be in good agreement with the corresponding experimental heat transfer data obtained based on cluster renewal approach. The predicted bed-to-wall heat transfer coefficient covered a range of 109-241 W/(m2K) and 111-240 W/(m2K), for fuzzy logic and cluster renewal approach respectively. The divergence in calculated heat flux recovery along the furnace height between fuzzy logic and cluster renewal approach did not exceeded ±2%.