Spouted Bed Geometries for Enhanced Particle Circulation
- Technology Benefits
- Smootherand more rapid particle circulation in a spouted bedEliminationof reciprocal particle movement in the subsiding annulus, reducing particledamageReducedfouling of gas inlet (for chemical vapor deposition process)Moreefficient gas-solid contactingImprovedheat transfer and thermal uniformity in the bedMoreuniform coatings on particles (for chemical vapor deposition)Lowermaintenance requirements and less frequent cleanings
- Technology Application
- ChemicalreactorsParticlecoatingsNuclearfuel pelletsPharmaceuticalsNanoparticleproductionFluidizedbed combustionFluidizedbed processing applications
- Detailed Technology Description
- Researchers at INL have developed a modified spouted bed geometry that prevents the slugging effect while preserving thebeneficial flow and contact properties of a spouted bed. This has been tested to show marked improvement and uniformity inparticle coatings, and to induce a more stable, smoother particle flow that compliments natural convection. The geometries allowfor more rapid particle circulation than a conical bed, and improve fluid-solid contacting and heat transfer throughout the bed. Because of the cleaner operation, less maintenance is required.
- Others
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LICENSINGOPPORTUNITY:
IdahoNational Laboratory (INL) and its M&O Contractor Battelle Energy Alliance,LLC (BEA) are currently looking for commercialization partner(s) interested inentering into a license agreement for the purpose of commercializing thetechnology described below.
INTELLECTUALPROPERTY STATUS:
This invention has associated intellectual property USPatent No. 7,947,326, BEA Docket No. BA-088: “Apparatus and Methods of Forminga Fluidized Bed of Circulating Particles,” issued 24 May 2011.
DEVELOPMENTSTATUS:
This technology has been tested and validated at thebench scale. Additional development will be required to demonstrate a pilotscale process. BEA may be in a position to support additional research anddevelopment of this technology under a mutually acceptable Cooperative Research& Development Agreement (CRADA), Strategic Partnership Projects (SPP)agreement, or a similar agreement, all of which are subject to approval by DOE.
Publications:
- Slides:“Spouted beddesign considerations for coated nuclear fuel particles,” Proceedings of Engineering ConferencesInternational Fluidization XV, May 2016
- Book:Spouted and Spout-Fluid Beds:Fundamentals and Applications, edited by Norman Epstein, John R. Grace,Cambridge University Press, 2010. Contains citation from D.W. Marshall in 2009.
- Paper:“Spouted beddesign considerations for coated nuclear fuel particles,” PowderTechnology, Volume 316, 1 July 2017, pp 421-425
- *Abstract
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TECHNOLOGY MARKETING SUMMARY:
Fluidized beds are beds of solids through which a fluid is forced, creating a fluid/solid mixture that behaves as a fluid. They areused to enhance surface area contact between fluid and solid, to induce high relative velocities between fluid and the dispersedsolid phase, and to promote high levels of intermixing between the solids. These properties are useful for many applications,including coating particles, drying or freezing, catalytic chemical reactions, and gasification processes.
Spouted beds are a particular kind of fluidized bed that creates a fountain of solid particles that falls back to the surface of thebed, inducing a circulation in the particle bed that allows for efficient contact between the gas and solid phases. These beds aretypically conical in shape, which can allow the particles to form a slug on the bottom of the cone that, when lifted by the fluid,leaves a void into which the particle bed falls. This process, referred to as slugging, causes particles to collide and rub against each other and the vessel wall, leading to abrasion, particle damage, and unsteady bed flow.
- Country/Region
- USA
