Hydrodynamics of a cold circulating fluidized bed for methanol-to-olefins (MTO) process: experimental and computational investigation

The present study aims to investigate the hydrodynamic behavior of gas–solid flow in a pseudo-two-dimensional cold circulation fluidized bed specifically designed to mimic a plane cut of an industrial methanol-to-olefins (MTO) bed. The solid velocity pattern was experimentally examined using the Particle Image Velocimetry with Digital Image Analysis (PIV-DIA) technique. The hydrodynamics of this pseudo-2D bed were studied using the twoPhaseEulerFoam solver in OpenFOAM, and the adjusted solver was validated through solid particle velocity and solid volume fraction comparisons, showing good agreement with experimental data. Additionally, the study explores different geometries, including symmetric and asymmetric baffles, to understand their impact on the mixing characteristics of the circulating fluidized bed for MTO. The findings highlight the significant role of asymmetric baffles in enhancing mixing behavior. Furthermore, the DIA technique was employed to study the effects of bubbles on gas–solid mixing, revealing that the low mixing region of the bed limited the diameter of bubbles.