Estimation of Bubble Properties in Bubbling Fluidized Bed Using ECVT Measurements

Abstract

In bubbling fluidized beds, accurate measurement of bubble properties such as size, velocity, and frequency is essential for understanding and optimising reactor performance. Electrical capacitance volume tomography (ECVT) offers a non-invasive approach to measuring bubble properties, but its resolution depends on sensor configuration and image reconstruction algorithm, introducing potential errors in bubble identification.

This study demonstrates that using a constant threshold to identify bubbles from ECVT images can fail to resolve small bubbles and lead to erroneous bubble size estimation. To overcome this limitation, the authors conducted calibration experiments and developed an iterative method to determine the optimum threshold for bubble identification. Using the Linear Back-Projection (LBP) algorithm combined with the optimum threshold approach to post-process dynamic experimental data, the method not only resolved smaller bubbles that were previously missed but also estimated the increase in bubble size more accurately as bubbles moved upward through the fluidized bed. The approach provides an improved framework for extracting reliable bubble property data from ECVT measurements in bubbling fluidized bed systems.

@article{agrawal2018estimation,
  title         = {Estimation of Bubble Properties in Bubbling Fluidized Bed Using ECVT
                  Measurements},
  author        = {Agrawal, Vaibhav and Shinde, Yogesh H and Shah, Milinkumar T and Utikar,
                  Ranjeet P and Pareek, Vishnu K and Joshi, Jyeshtharaj B},
  year          = 2018,
  journal       = {Industrial \& Engineering Chemistry Research},
  publisher     = {American Chemical Society},
  volume        = 57,
  number        = 24,
  pages         = {8319--8333},
  doi           = {10.1021/acs.iecr.8b00349}
}