Nonintrusive Uncertainty Quantification of Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations of a Bench-Scale Fluidized-Bed Gasifier

Uncertainty quantification (UQ) analysis is increasingly becoming one of the major requirements of simulation-based engineering to assess the confidence in the results and make better-informed decisions based on the insight derived from the simulations. In an earlier study, Bayesian UQ analysis was applied to existing bench-scale fluidized-bed gasifier experiment results. In the current study, a series of simulations were carried over with the open-source computational fluid dynamics software MFiX to reproduce the experimental conditions, where three operating factors, i.e., coal flow rate, coal particle diameter, and steam-to-oxygen ratio, were systematically varied to understand their effect on the syngas composition. Bayesian UQ analysis was this time performed on the numerical results for comparison purposes. This is part of ongoing research efforts to explore the applicability of advanced UQ methods and processes such as Bayesian methods for large-scale complex multiphase flow simulations. As part of...