Predicting Two-Dimensional Bubbling Bed Flows Using Gas-Solid Continuum Modeling

The dense phase gas-solid continuum equations are ridden with purely empirical and poorly validated constitutive relations which make one question the universality of their application to different flows. In this talk, a specific type of dense-phase flow with important industrial applications, namely, the spouted bed flow is studied in detail using the Department of Energy’s gas-solid continuum code called MFIX. The performance of the different commonly used closure models in predicting both the macroscopic and the differential scale flow behavior is analyzed by comparing with experimental results available in literature. Some of the issues involved in ensuring accurate experimental comparisons, such as taking into consideration the influence of sidewalls present in the experimental setups, are explored. The effect of fluidizing the bed of particles prior to jet injection is also investigated.