Experimental and Numerical Study of Cross-Domain Hydrodynamics in an Integrated Pneumatic-Spouted Bed

As an essential resource, the drying, upgrading, and efficient utilization of lignite are of great significance to the development of the low-carbon economy. In this work, a novel drying system, combining a pneumatic and spouted bed, is designed to achieve lignite deeply dewatering. The system is investigated experimentally and numerical simulated to characterize the hydro-dynamics of particles moving across the domain, such as pressure drop, fountain height, and pressure fluctuation. The results show that there is a critical gas velocity that changes the flow pattern of the bed when the static bed is higher than 50 mm. When the gas velocity increases to the critical value, the spouting state becomes unstable and the corresponding pressure drop will undergo a secondary mutation. This work provides a deeper understanding of the flow structure and particle motion in the novel drying system under various industrial operating conditions.