Simulation of gas–solid flow in 2D/3D bubbling fluidized beds by combining the two-fluid model with structure-based drag model

•Seven local structural parameters (ɛe, Uge, fb, Ub, Ugb, db, ab) have been solved.•The structure-based drag correlation has been built.•The solid concentration profiles in 2D/3D bubbling fluidized beds are predicted.

In this work, a new method was developed to simulate bubbling fluidized beds with Geldart A particles by modifying the conventional drag correlations through considering the effect of the non-uniform flow structure. In this method, seven local structural parameters (ɛe, Uge, fb, Ub, Ugb, db, ab), which were used to describe the internal flow structure of bubbling fluidized beds, were obtained by solving seven independent equations made up of momentum conservation equation, mass conservation equation, and empirical correlations. The structure-based drag correlation was incorporated into the two-fluid model to simulate the hydrodynamics of Geldart A particles in bubbling fluidized beds, where the simulated results showed good agreements with those experimental data for the axial and radial solid concentration profiles. The solid circulation pattern in the 2D bubbling fluidized bed was also captured.