Contribuições ao estudo da fluidodinâmica e da secagem de pastas em leitos fluidizado e vibrofluidizado

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the fluid dynamic of the fluidized and vibrofluidized beds with particles with diameter under 1.00 mm, and also to analyze the fluid dynamic behavior of wet beds and the drying of different liquids and suspensions during the transient drying period. The purpose of these tests is to obtain relevant information about the influence of vibration and also to investigate some issues related to the dimensionless vibration number (&#915;), which has been used and understood in a controversial way by the scientific community. The fluid dynamic and drying experiments were conducted in a fluidized/vibrofluidizad column with diameter equal 0.014 m and high 0.50 m. The analysis of fluid dynamic was performed with particles of 463 and 780 &#956;m, under different vibrational conditions. Drying and wet fluid dynamic experiments were carried out with particles of 2.19 mm, with the following liquids and pastes: distilled water, sewage sludge, skim milk and calcium carbonate solutions with solid concentration of 3%, 6% and 9%.. Drying essays were conducted at different paste feed rates and under air velocity equal to1.33 and 1.55 m / s, and temperatures of 80 and 100 ° C. Two vibration conditions yielding a constant vibration number (&#1043; = 4.0) were tested: one with A = 0.003 m and f = 18.20 Hz and other with A = 0.015 m and f = 8.14 Hz. In fluid dynamic tests with particles of dp< 1.00 mm, the characteristic curves were obtained from the classical methodology were analyzed aiming at identifying the influence of the particle size and vibrational on the pressure drop and minimum fludization velocities. For the wet beds was evaluated the dynamic behavior of dimensionless pressure drop and dimensionless air inlet velocity, while in drying experimens the behavior of air relative humidity, absolute humidity, powder production rate, powder moisture content and energy efficiency was assessed. The results obtained show that the use of vibration together with fluidized air may result in significant improvement of the bed dynamics, thus enhancing the drying conditions. They evidenced also that the use of different combinations of frequency and amplitude values to yield a same vibration number may result in very different dynamic behavior in vibrofluidized beds. As a consequence, variables associated to drying such as air relative and absolute humidity, powder production rate and energy efficiency were affected by vibration conditions. To fully characterize the vibration conditions, the value of &#1043; should be informed together with either the amplitude or frequency of vibration.