Transport Phenomena in Granular, Particulate and Porous Media
Course of study
- Nachhaltige Verfahrens - und Umwelttechnik (VTU)
- Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen Verfahrens- und Energietechnik
- Chemical and Energy Engineering (CEE)
- Process Safety and Environmental Engineering (PSEE)
Abstract
Dispersed solids are everywhere in the process industries – as raw materials such as coal, as products such as plastic granulates, and as auxiliaries such as catalyst pellets. They take part in a long list of important operations: regenerative heat transfer, adsorption, chromatography, drying, heterogeneous catalysis. In practice they almost always appear in one of three forms: fixed, agitated or fluidized beds.
This module treats the transport phenomena that occur in those systems – momentum, heat and mass transfer – and shows how physical fundamentals, mathematical models and well-designed laboratory experiments combine to dimension real apparatus. It is the bridge between the behaviour of a single particle in a fluid and the performance of a reactor, dryer or adsorber.
Aims and Scope
By the end of the module, students will:
- Master transport phenomena in granular, particulate and porous media,
- Be able to design the corresponding processes and products,
- Be able to combine mathematical modelling with laboratory experiments,
- Be able to dimension the appropriate apparatus.
Contents
- Transport phenomena between single particles and a fluid
- Fixed beds: porosity, distribution of velocity, fluid–solid transport phenomena
- Influence of flow maldistribution and axial dispersion on heat and mass transfer
- Fluidized beds: structure, expansion, fluid–solid transport phenomena
- Mechanisms of heat transfer through gas-filled gaps
- Thermal conductivity of fixed beds without flow
- Axial and lateral heat and mass transfer in fixed beds with fluid flow
- Heat transfer from heating surfaces to static or agitated bulk materials
- Contact drying in vacuum and in presence of inert gas
- Heat transfer between fluidized beds and immersed heating elements
Organisation
| Teaching format | Lectures and exercises |
|---|---|
| Semester | Summer semester |
| Workload | 3 SWS – 42 h lectures and tutorials, 78 h private study |
| Examination | Oral examination |
| Credits | 5 CP |
Literature
- Lecture notes, available for download
- Schlünder, E.-U., & Tsotsas, E. (1988). Wärmeübertragung in Festbetten, durchmischten Schüttgütern und Wirbelschichten. Thieme.
- Geankoplis, C. J., Hersel, A. A., & Lepek, D. H. (2018). Transport processes and separation process principles (Fifth edition). Prentice Hall.
Related research
The transport properties treated in this module are an active research topic in our group. We determine effective thermal conductivity and tortuosity of beds made of cubical, polyhedral and porous particles, and measure temperature at many points inside an operating bed using phosphor thermometry. Students interested in going further are welcome to enquire about a Bachelor or Master thesis in this area.