Numerical and experimental study of finned tube erosion protection methods

Abstract Erosion of tubes by coal particles or coal ash impingement has caused serious problems to many pulverized coal energy conversion systems (such as the circulating fluidized bed combustion system). It is important to study erosion protection methods for tubes undergoing erosion. In this paper we present the results of numerical and experimental investigation of a new type of erosion-protection method: the finned tube erosion protection method. An experimental investigation of finned tube erosion processes was made by placing erosionprone wax cylinders with fins in a bench-scale cold flow circulating fluidized bed to simulate the long-term erosion effect. A numerical study was conducted for the flow of a dilute particle-laden gas moving past a finned tube undergoing erosion. An orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system was used to calculate turbulent flow around the finned tube. The calculation of particle trajectories took into account the effect of the turbulence with a stochastic particle dispersion model. The results from this study show that the finned tube is a simple and efficient erosion protection method in most industrial two-phase systems where erosion occurs. The fin relative height, the fin number and the angle between two adjacent fins are three important parameters which affect finned tube erosion protection abilities.

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