The influence of the temperature profile on the fluid
flow and heat transfer in a fixed bed of
tube to particle ratio of 2.86 was studied by solving the 3D
Navier−Stokes and energy equations
by means of a commercial finite element code, ANSYS/FLOTRAN. The
geometry model,
representing a fixed bed, consisted of an arrangement of eight spheres
in a tube. The difference
in heat-transfer parameters between a wall-cooled and wall-heated
reactor was studied, using
air as a fluid. The dimensionless wall heat-transfer coefficient,
Nu
w, and the radial effective
conductivity ratio,
k
r/k
f, were evaluated
from the calculated temperatures at different locations
in the bed by comparing these with the analytical solution of a
two-dimensional pseudohomogeneous model, using a nonlinear least-squares analysis. Results
were obtained for Reynolds
numbers in the range 9−1450. Though for high Re there
was no real difference between a wall-cooled or a wall-heated tube, for low Re a significant
difference was found. The effect of the
viscosity, conductivity, and density variations, as a consequence of
temperature variations, was
studied using a hydrocarbon mixture as the fluid. Results
indicated that the temperature profile
had an influence on the fluid and heat flow and thus on the effective
parameters, although at
high Re numbers the influence became less.