A numerical study has been undertaken to explore the influence of geometry and flow parameters on the entrainment of solid in an ESE nozzle system immersed in a fluidized riser. A fully three-dimensional computational model of the nozzle system has been developed and all appropriate approximations and simplifications are described. A multi-phase Eulerian-Eulerian model incorporating the kinetic theory for solid particles is used. Numerical results are obtained using the commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics software FLUENT. The results indicate that solid entrainment in the ESE system is a strong function of both geometry and flow. The optimal entrainment is seen to occur when the ratio of the draft tube diameter D to separation distance I is approximately unity. At this value, the jet of injected gas is seen to spread fully into the opening of the draft tube causing the highest transport of solid particles through the tube. The entrainment is shown to increase with increasing jet velocity across the full range of flows considered. The results are consistent with similar experimental results. The results of this study should find immediate application in the design and implementation of ESE nozzle systems.
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