Wrapping up 50 years of fluidization and multiphase system fundamental and applied research

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This proposal seeks funding for the last chapter in a successful 50-year career of fundamental and applied research and mentoring. Entrainment from fluidized beds is subject to enormous uncertainty, with discrepancies between predictions up to 20 orders of magnitude! We have recently shown that electrostatic charges, not considered in any existing predictive methods, are responsible for much of this uncertainty, with electrical properties of particles playing a strong role. We will measure entrainment and electrostatic charges in columns made of different materials and develop predictive methods which account for electrostatic forces. The effect of electrostatics on transport disengaging heights will also be explored. Attrition is poorly understood, but of vital importance in many processes. We will utilize a 3-jet attrition device, widely used in industry for catalyst particle attrition characterization, to CFD study to better understand the fundamentals of particle motion and interactions leading to abrasion and breakage. We will also compare attrition in four different devices at low and high temperature. 8 years ago, the applicant conceived and led an initiative to design and build a novel Travelling Fluidized Bed apparatus that has now been operated under identical conditions at 7 labs in 3 countries, enabling comparison of measurement techniques. It has also led to a unique database for validation of multiphase CFD codes. Alternative techniques have generally shown good qualitative agreement, but substantial quantitative differences. A CFD study will predict the motion of particles with properties of actual tracers used in the experimental studies to determine the extent to which different tracer physical properties account for the observed quantitative differences in hydrodynamic measurement and to establish criteria for choosing particles for tracking. The applicant is a co-PI on an ongoing CREATE program on carbon capture. Discovery grant funding is needed to support testing of alternative solid CO2 sorbents, which, in addition to low cost and favourable physical and chemical properties, can be regenerated at relatively low temperatures. It will also enable a PhD thesis on reactor modelling of dual bed steam gasification of biomass to be completed, and provide partial support for a new project on sorbent-enhanced reforming of natural gas. The applicant has signed a contract with Wiley to prepare a new textbook on Fluidization, sorely needed as previous teaching-focused fluidization books are decades old, therefore failing to cover recent developments, such as the enormous advances made using multi-phase CFD codes and new understanding regarding inter-particle forces. Grant support will allow the applicant to continue to attend key conferences, hire a summer student to assist with figures and references, and cover incidental costs.