(121d) Control of Solids Flow Distribution at a Splitter Junction in a Two-Phase Turbulent Flow

There are applications in the power generation industry where pulverized coal particles are conveyed by air from pulverizers to a boiler through a network of pipes. In some designs, the pipes split into two, three or four branches before reaching the boiler. Being able to control the distributions of coal and air at splitter junctions is important for achieving efficient combustion with minimal emissions of NO_x and CO. Based on laboratory studies and computer simulations of two phase flow of particles and gas past blunt and streamlined bodies, the authors have developed a technique for adjusting the distribution of particles at splitter junctions in piping networks. This technique makes use of a series of adjustable flow control elements located just upstream of a riffler.

This paper will describe the experimental and numerical results which form the basis of the approach and then show results from laboratory and full-scale field applications of the method.