Process Monitoring of Gas-Solid Fluidised Beds
Observe bubble motion, particle spatial distribution and bed-structure changes inside a fluidised bed in real time, supporting process optimisation of combustion / gasification reactors.
Background
The fluidised bed is a core reactor unit in chemical engineering, energy and combustion. Its internal gas-solid interaction is complex and the flow structure is hard to observe directly; conventional methods (differential pressure, thermocouple arrays) yield only scalar signals and cannot reveal the true flow behaviour inside the bed.
Measurement challenges
- Particles are opaque, so optical methods cannot observe the interior directly
- The flow regime spans bubbling, turbulent and fast fluidisation, demanding a fast-responding measurement system
- Industrial-scale fluidised beds run at higher temperature and pressure, placing demands on sensor and electrode packaging
Our solution
Based on the pico-ECT capacitance tomography system, a 12-electrode sensor is mounted on the outer wall of the fluidised bed (non-contact), reconstructing the cross-sectional gas-solid distribution online at 100 fps. Raw data can be recorded simultaneously for offline algorithm comparison.
Results
- Continuous sequences of bubble motion, particle spatial distribution and bed-expansion ratio
- Joint analysis with differential-pressure signals validates the critical point of flow-regime transition
- Provides a quantitative basis for optimising reactor design parameters
