System for controlling spouted bed inlet conditions
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsThomas B. Jones, Morris H. Morgan, Peter W. Dietz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Semi-insulating granular bed material in a spout inlet region of a spouted bed vessel between a draft tube and a portion of the vessel base section adjacent a fluid inlet is aligned along the force lines of an imposed localized electric field to thereby afford improved control over spout inlet conditions which affect processes carried out in the spouted bed device.
Claims14
A spouted bed device comprising;
- a vessel for containing semi-insulating granular material which vessel includes a fluid inlet disposed in a vertically lower section thereof;
- a tubular member having an inlet located within the vessel vertically above and in flow communication with the vessel fluid inlet;
- and
- means for forming an electric field within the vessel which field impinges upon the tubular member inlet.
A spouted bed device comprising;
- a vessel for containing semi-insulating granular material which vessel includes a fluid inlet disposed in a vertically lower section thereof;
- a tubular member having an inlet located within the vessel vertically above and in flow communication with the vessel fluid inlet;
- and
- means for forming an electric field between the tubular member inlet and a portion of the vessel lower section adjacent the fluid inlet, the field being suitable for maintaining granules of the vessel contained material along the force lines thereof.
A spouted bed device comprising;
- a vessel having a fluid inlet disposed in a vertically lower section thereof, a bed of semi-insulating granules contained in the vessel, a tubular member having an inlet immersed in the granular bed in flow communication with the fluid inlet and spaced a distance from the fluid inlet much larger than the cross dimensions of an individual granule, a spout inlet region of the vessel extending from the tubular member inlet to a portion of the vessel interior surface adjacent the fluid inlet, and means for forming an electric field in the spout inlet region, the field acting to restrict the passage of granules from the spout inlet region into fluid flowing from the fluid inlet into the tubular member inlet.
A spouted bed device comprising;
- a vessel for containing semi-insulating granular material and having a vertical axis, which vessel includes a substantially frustoconical downwardly tapering base section having a fluid inlet at the apex thereof;
- a tubular member positioned substantially coaxially in the vessel and having an inlet disposed opposite of and spaced from the vessel fluid inlet;
- a spout inlet region of the vessel between the tubular member inlet and a portion of the vessel base section interior surface adjacent the fluid inlet;
- and
- a means for forming a localized electric field in the spout inlet region.
A method for controlling spout inlet conditions in a spouted bed device having a draft tube positioned vertically in a granular semi-insulating material containing vessel so as to define an annular bed of granules therebetween, with said vessel having a fluid inlet in a base section thereof spaced from and opposite the draft tube inlet so as to define a spout inlet region between the draft tube inlet and a portion of the base section adjacent the fluid inlet, which method comprises the steps of;
- directing a jet of fluid from the fluid inlet through the spout inlet region towards the draft tube inlet, entraining granules in the fluid to form a dilute suspension, transferring the dilute suspension from the spout inlet region through the tubular member, replacing entrained granules with granules from the annular bed, and imposing a localized electric field on at least a portion of the granules in the spout inlet region to regulate the granule entrainment therefrom so as to control the spout inlet conditions of the spouted bed device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.