(29f) Effect of Electrostatic Charges On Hydrodynamics of Fluidized Beds

Research in energy and environment areas, particularly alternative liquid fuel research, deals with the flow of dielectric liquids and/or particulate flows. During the operation of multiphase systems such as fluidized beds or high velocity transport systems, electrostatic charges are generated via frictional charging when the materials involved are dielectric in nature. The accumulation of electrostatic charges within the system can be operationally hazardous. Thus, in-depth knowledge in electrostatic phenomena occurring in multiphase flows is important in studying such technologies. Unfortunately, the dynamic electrostatic phenomena are highly complex, and as a result, the currently available measurement techniques cannot provide a full range of information of the charging effects in a flow system. This study focuses on the investigation of the effect of electrostatic charges on the hydrodynamics of fluidized beds containing dielectric liquids. A measurement technique providing a real time charge density, and a mathematical model of the charge generation and dissipation processes in a dynamic multiphase flow are also developed. A novel electrostatic measurement technique will greatly advance fundamental understanding of particle-particle interaction and interparticle forces, and in turn, improve the industrial operation of various multiphase reactors. Furthermore, the incorporation of this charge density function into the existing CFD code will also immensely advance the field of computational fluid dynamics.