Numerical study of gas–solid flow in a coal beneficiation fluidized bed using kinetic theory of granular flow

Abstract Modeling the dynamic behavior of gas -solid flow in a pilot scale coal beneficiation fluidized bed (CBFB) model was performed in this work, a transient two-dimensional simulation was done based on the Eulerian model together with the kinetic theory of granular flows. Three steps were conducted to testify the choices of sub-models in CBFB modeling, including gas -solid exchange drag models, gas phase turbulence models, granular temperature models and wall boundary condition models for solid phase. Instantaneous and time-averaged results of particle volume fraction, bubble number and size, particle velocity distributions and vortices, as well as bed density distributions were obtained. The impacts of the sub-models on the flow characteristics in the dense CBFB were illustrated in detail and suitable models with better predictions of CBFB flow pattern were then demonstrated. The Syamlal -O'Brien drag model predicted better results in bed characteristics. The dispersed k-e turbulence model should be used to describe the gas turbulence in the dense CBFB flow regime. The partial slip wall condition for particles had a slight influence in the small model. The partial differential equation granular temperature model could predict the inter-phase surfaces more clearly and the flow pattern more accurately.