Heat transfer and flow characteristics around a finned-tube bank heat exchanger in fluidized bed

Principal heat transfer mechanisms in a fluidized bed have been classified into three categories, i.e. solid convection, gas convection and radiation. Among these mechanisms, the solid convection is a dominant mechanism in the bubbling fluidized bed. This solid convection is substantially caused by the bubble movement, thus the visualization of the void fraction distribution becomes a very useful method to understand the characteristics of the fluidized-bed heat exchanger. In this study, the heat transfer coefficient and the void fraction around the heat transfer tube with annuler fin were measured. For the quantitative measurement of the void fraction, neutron radiography and image processing technique were employed. Owing to the existence of the annuler fin, the restriction of the particle movements was put. This restriction suppressed the disturbance caused by tubes, and the influence of the tube arrangement on the flow and heat transfer characteristics could be clearly expressed.