CL 351: Chemical Engineering Lab II

Experiment-03
Heat transfer in Fluidized beds

Sagar Chawla
12110081


Objective:-
To determine the overall heat transfer coefficient and its variation with the void fraction in a
fluidized bed


Theory:-
Fluidized beds are used extensively in the chemical process industries, particularly for the
cracking of high-molecular-weight petroleum fractions. Such beds inherently possess excellent
heat transfer and mixing characteristics. These are devices in which a large surface area of
contact between a liquid and a gas, or a solid and a gas or liquid is obtained for achieving rapid
mass and heat transfer and for chemical reactions. The fluidized bed is one of the best known
contacting methods used in the processing industry, for instance in oil refinery plants. Among its
chief advantages are that the particles are well mixed leading to low temperature gradients, they
are suitable for both small and large scale operations and they allow continuous processing.
Pressure drop in the fluidized bed is almost constant irrespective of the flow rate. This is equal
to the net force o f particles on the bed (gravitational force on the particles minus the buoyancy
force on the particles). In contrast to this the pressure drop in the packed bed increases almost
exponentially with flow rate of fluid. Lastly, the heat transfer coefficient in a fluidized bed is
much higher as compared to a packed bed.
The fluidized bed shows peculiar behavior with respect to the heat transfer coefficient. With
increase in the velocity leading to expansion of the bed, the heat transfer coefficient initially
increases but after a certain void fraction (0.6-0.65) stats decreasing. This behavior is due to the
fact that in a fluidized the particles are in random motion and when they hit the wall of the bed
they break the boundary layer near the wall thereby enhancing the heat transfer coefficient. As
the bed expands the mean free path of the particles increases and they hit the wall with greater
force and damage the boundary layer to a greater extent. However as the bed expands still further
the particle density starts decreasing and hence the boundary layer destruction starts becoming
less prominent.
Heat transfer coefficient (U) can be calculated as:
U= Q/AT
lm
(1)
Where T
lm
is the log mean temperature difference (LMTD)
T
lm
= ((T
1
-t
1
)- (T
2
-t
2
))/Ln(((T
1
-t
1
)/ (T
2
-t
2
)) (2)
Procedure:-
1. Connect 15 ampere and 5 ampere plug pins to a stable 230 AC supply. Care should be
taken to connect these two pins in different phases of the power supply.
2. Connect the suction line of the cold fluid circulation pump to the cold water supply line.
Adjusting the cooling water flow rate in the jacketed portion of the packed bed to its
maximum in order to make the cooling water side resistance to heat transfer negligible.
This will also restrict the temperature rise to about 1-2
0
C. Keep this flow rate of cooling
water constant throughout the experiment.
3. Ensure that the valve at the bottom of the glass section is open. Open the value on the
outlet line of the hot fluid tank. Start the hot fluid circulation pump and slowly increase
its speed. Initially run the pump at low speed. Adjust the flow rate of hot fluid through
the packed bed at a sufficiently low level such that the temperature drop is being about 2
to 3
0
C. Check the inlet and outlet temperature of the fluid indicated by the digital
thermometers. The error in the temperatures indicated by the inlet and the outlet sensors
for hot and cold fluid respectively should be taken into account accessing calculation.
4. Switch on the heater of the hot fluid tank.
5. Adjust the flow rate of hot fluid through the fluidized bed , such that the bed is at the on-
set of fluidization, by adjusting the speed of the hot fluid circulation pump. Measure the
flow rate by noting the time required for the hot fluid to attain the prescribed height in the
glass section
6. Note the inlet and outlet temperatures of hot as well as cold fluid indicated by digital
thermometers on the control panel and the bed height after steady state is attained.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for at least six to eight different flow rates of hot fluid.
Observation table:-
Table1.Observed readings of inlet-outlet temperatures.
Obs.
No.
Inlet temp
(hot fluid)
(T
1
),
0
C
Outlet temp
(hot fluid)
(T
2
),
0
C
Inlet temp
(water)
(t
1
),
0
C
Outlet temp
(water)
(t
2
),
0
C
Time
required for
collection
(), s
Bed height
(h),cm
1

82.00 67.50 32.50 32.90 75 4.2
2

81.50 68.50 33.00 33.50 59 6.0
3

81.50 68.40 33.40 33.90 52 7.1
4

81.40 68.10 33.75 34.40 39 10.0
5

81.10

68.40 34.90 34.10 29 14.5
6

81.00 69.20 34.20 35.15 26 17.1
7

80.60 69.80 34.40 35.40 23 20.0
8

80.30 70.60 34.70 35.70 21 23.0
9

80.40 71.70 34.80 35.80 18 28.5
10

80.40 72.20 35.20 36.20 16 31.0










Table2. Porosity of the bed and overall heat transfer coefficient


Obs.
No.
Mass flow
rate
(m) kg/hr
Amount of
heat
transferred
(Q) kCal/hr
LMTD
(T
lm
),
0
C
Overall heat
transfer
coefficient
(U
i
),
kCal/hr-m
20
C
Porosity of
bed

1 12.84 128.83 41.63 166.29 0.53
2 16.32 146.83 41.44 190.51 0.56
3 18.52 163.52 41.17 213.56 0.57
4 24.69 210.17 40.89 276.28 0.61
5 33.21 291.83 39.87 393.53 0.66
6 37.04 302.44 40.18 404.67 0.68
7 41.87 312.92 40.10 419.53 0.71
8 45.86 307.81 40.09 412.77 0.73
9 53.50 322.09 40.63 426.22 0.76
10 60.19 341.53 40.49 453.45 0.77

Observations:-
1. Diameter of fluidized bed (d) =3.2 cm
2. Height of fluidized bed (H) =21.5 cm
3. Height of jacketed portion (H
j
) =18.6
4. Weight of beads (W)=250.11 g
5. Volume of liquid collected(V) =1140 cm
3

6. Average temperature of cooling water during run (t
avg
) =31.0
0
C
7. Density of beads (
b
) =2.56 g/cm
3

8. Density of fluid () = 1.07 g/cm
3

9. Heat capacity of test fluid (C
p
) =0.692 Kcal/kg-
0
C
10. Viscosity of test fluid () =2.94 cp


Calculations:-
Heat transfer area (A) = *d*H
j
= *0.032*0.185 = 0.0186 m
2

Cross sectional area of fluidized bed (S) = /4*d
2
=3.14/4*3.2
2
=8.042 cm
2

Volume of fluidized bed (V
f
) = /4*d
2
*H =3.14/4*3.2
2
*21.5 =172.91 cm
3

Volume of beads(V
b
) = W/
b
=250.11/2.56 =97.7 cm
3

Sample calculation for reading no.2:-
Volumetric flow rate:
V/
=250/59
=4.23 cm
3
/s
Mass flow rate(m):
= v*3600*/1000
=4.23*3.6*1.07
=16.32 kg/hr
Amount of heat transferred (Q):
=mC
p
(T
1
-T
2
)
=24.69*(81.50-68.50)*0.692
=146.83kCal/hr
LMTD
T
lm
= ((T
1
-t
1
)- (T
2
-t
2
))/Ln(((T
1
-t
1
)/ (T
2
-t
2
))
=((81.50-33)-(68.50-33.5))/Ln((81.50-33)/( 68.50-33.5))
=41.44
0
C
Overall heat transfer coefficient (U)
=Q/A*T
lm
=146.83/0.0186*41.44
=190.51 kCal/hr-m
2
-
0
C
Void fraction:
(V
f
+(S*h)-V
b
)/(V
f
+(S*h))
=((172.82+(8.038*6)-97.7)/(172.82+(8.038*6)))
=0.56






Result:-



Figure1:- Overall heat transfer coefficient vs porosity


Conclusion:-
Overall Heat transfer coefficient increases in fluidized bed heat experiment as flow rate increase
of the hot fluid, it takes place due to Bed started to expand with flow rate so it will break the
boundary layers in other words porosity increases which leads to increment in heat transfer. But
0.4
0.45
0.5
0.55
0.6
0.65
0.7
0.75
0.8
0 100 200 300 400 500
Ui vs
Ui vs
as the porosity further increases the distance increases and heat cannot be transferred that
effectively. The decrease is due to expansion in the mean free path of the particles more than
required for a considerable collision. The graph between U
i
and E is continuously increases but it
becomes saturated after a certain void fraction (in graph between last 2 readings) due to density
starts decreasing and boundary layer destruction starts becoming less prominent. Logarithmic
mean temperature difference and Overall heat transfer coefficient increases with mass flow rate.
There are many well established operations that utilize this technology, including cracking and
reforming of hydrocarbons, coal carbonization, gasification and coating preparations. Nowadays,
you will find fluidized beds used in catalyst regeneration, solid-gas reactors, combustion of coal,
roasting of ores, drying, and gas adsorption operations.



Discussion:-

After a certain void fraction heat transfer should be started to decrease but its continuously
rising, hence it shows inaccuracy of apparatus. There were might be some human errors while
taking readings (measuring of flow rate and bed height) which also may be the cause of
imperfect result or inaccurate plot of graph. There should be a measuring scale attached on the
bed column to measure the height of bed for better accuracy.