Department of Chemical Engineering (IIT Delhi)

B.Tech. Major Project Part-1 / Part-II (CHD 411 / CHD 412)

Fortnight Report No.: 2
Student Name: Jyoti Jain

Date: 21-08-2014
Entry No.:

2011ch10159

Group No.: 3

Project Title: CFD Modeling of fluidized bed granulation process.

Objectives: To study the effect of various process variables like fluidization air velocity,
temperature and humidity and spray rate of fluidized bed granulation by simulation in
fluent.

Summary of work done:

1. Study of various models for simulating the fluidized bed granulation process.
Eulerian-Lagragian: The two-dimensional motion of each individual spherical particle is
directed calculated from the forces acting on them, accounting for the interaction between the
particle and the gas-phase. The implemented collision model is based on the conservation
laws for linear and angular momentum and requires, apart from geometrical factors, two
empirical parameters: a restitution coefficient and a friction coefficient.
Limitation: The computation required in this is higly demanding and is limited to small
setups. For large setups requiring consisting of a greater number of particles, computation is
tedious.
Eulerian- Eulerian: In this multifluid model, the gas and the solid phases are considered to
be continuous and fully inter-penetrating. Both phases are described in terms of separate sets
of conservation equations with appropriate interaction terms representing the coupling
between the phases.
Limitations: In some cases like modeling of segregation behavior the results obtained by this
method do not very well fit the experimental values, but with some modifications can have
good results.
2. Study of fluidization regime of operation:
For granulation, fluidized beds are typically operated in the bubbling or dense turbulent
regime in the range of 1.5 to 10 times the minimum fluidisation velocity. For batch
granulation the gas velocity may need to be increased significantly during operation to
maintain the velocity in this range as the particle size increases.
3. Study of basic Gas and Solids phase continuity and momentum equations and
granular energy equations: These simple phase equations along with the coupling equations
represent the fluidization behavior of particles in fluidized bed.
Future plan:
1. Modeling of simple bubbling fluidization bed in CFD.
2. Modeling granulation process with the simple Eulerian-Eulerian approach.
3. Modeling granulation process with the modified model which considers the
segregation effects using multi-fluid model.

Name of Supervisor: Prof. Ratan Mohan

Comments on Performance:

Satisfactory

Signature of Supervisor:
Average

Unsatisfactory

(to be filled up by BTP supervisor or his nominee in case supervisor is out of station)