Simulation of Drying Characteristics of Evaporation from a Wet Particle in a Turbulent Pulsed Opposing Jet Contactor

Abstract

The motion and drying characteristics of a single particle in a novel two-dimensional pulsed opposing jet contactor (POJC) are modeled and discussed. Hot air is used as the drying medium. To simulate particle drying, the gas phase and dispersed phase conservation equations are considered in the Eulerian reference frame and the Lagrangian reference frame, respectively. The RNG turbulence model is used to determine the turbulent characteristics of the gas phase. The particle motion is described by the BBO (Basset-Boussinesq-Oseen) equation. The effects of the key parameters, such as the jet Reynolds number, amplitude of pulsation, frequency of pulsation, particle diameter, location of release of particle from one jet as well as velocity profile on residence time (RT) and particle penetration depth (PN) into the opposite jet, are examined. Results show that POJC has strong potential for particulate heat transfer as well as drying; it can improve evaporation rate relative to the corresponding steady OJC by up to 30% as a result of increased residence time in the impingement zone within the parameter ranges simulated.

Keywords:

• BBO equation
• CFD
• Drying
• Evaporation
• Impinging streams
• ISD
• Residence time