Fluidized Bed Scale-Up for Sustainability Challenges. 1. Tomorrow’s Tools
Ray Cocco, Jia Wei Chew
Abstract
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The scaling up of fluidized beds has been purposefully pursued for more than 100 years. Yet, over that time, scale-up tools have not significantly changed. Data analysis is typically a standard analysis of variances statistical exercise, perhaps reinforced with a design of experimental procedure. Flowsheeting and equipment design are based on institutional knowledge, albeit graphical user interface-based process flow models make that job more manageable. Advanced models such as computational fluid dynamics are used but often as a supplement and not a primary driver. As a result, the scale-up process for a fluidized bed can take more than 10 years. Fluidized beds remain at the forefront of the present time-critical sustainability challenges, e.g., carbon capture by particulate sorbents, methane-to-hydrogen, plastic-to-chemicals, etc. In view of the exigency toward net zero, today’s scale-up efforts need to be accelerated, leveraging the advanced new tools that have become readily available. The problem is that such tools are often neglected, inadequately implemented, ineffectively resourced, and/or poorly understood. This motivated the current effort, which is targeted at reviewing how scale-up tools have evolved over the years and the promising new tools, addressing some of the barriers of these tools in the design and scale-up of fluidized beds, as well as contemplating what can be done to circumvent these barriers. As a follow up, a companion part 2 ( Cocco, R. A.; Chew, J. W. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., submitted for publication) proposes a new scale-up path leveraging the advanced tools to achieve timely implementation of the new green fluidized bed processes.