Here is a TimeLine of the PSRI History.
Timeline
June 4, 2019
PSRI has quantify gas backmixing behavior in fluidized beds with and without bed internals using Helium gas tracer using an advection-diffusion transport equations. The presence of the tube bundles reduced the amount of lateral mixing resulting in a more plug flow behavior and an increase in the Peclet number or number of CSTRs. As an example, for a first order reactions the fluidized bed with the tube bundle resulted in a 18% higher reaction rate than the fluidized bed without the tube bundles.\n
February 4, 2019
PSRI has developed a population balance model (PBM) for attrition prediction in fluidized beds. The model tracks the shrinkage via diameter reduction of the particles due to rates of abrasion and fragmentation. The fragmentation is also a function of the breakage model and is integrated for that particles size to all smaller particle sizes.
September 25, 2018
PSRI has developed a new training course and workshop focusing on operating and problem solving fluidized beds and circulating fluidized beds. This three-day course includes training on large cold-flow equipment.
6-4-2018
PSRI was able to quantify the particle
12-4-2017
Immersing the cyclone into the fluidized bed several feet or one meter, resulted in decreasing the gas flowing up the dipleg by 50%. Presumably, the mechanism for this is the “viscosity” of the emulsion in the fluidized bed is high enough to limit the seepage of gas through the trickle valve when immersed in a fluidized bed.
09-04-2017
Trickle valves have the potential to have higher gas leakage up the dipleg, because the particles are at the bottom of the trickle valve and the gas is at the top. As a trickle valve erodes, which is usually at the top, gas from the freeboard can leak through the trickle valve unopposed by solids. Have a cyclone with a vortex stabilizer can significantly reduce this leakage.
2017
Dr. Ben Freireich joins as PSRI's Technical Director
2017
Dr. Reddy Karri moved from his role as Technical Director at PSRI to Consulting Director. He will be responsible for expanding PSRI's consulting role with member companies ...
2016
Fluidized bed internals can significantly lower the operating bed density as well as reduce the dynamic pressure on those internals. The presences of internals increases the bubble volume fraction as a result of higher bubble frequencies, smaller bubble sizes and slower bubble velocities.
2015
PSRI discovers that a vortex stabilizer can re-introduce the upflow of solids from a leaky trickle valve back to the cyclone wall thereby mitigating the impact a poor trickle valve can have on cyclone operations.
2014
PSRI quantifies how leakage from a trickle valve can be the controlling factor on a cyclone's collection efficiency. A leaky trickle valve can impose upward gas flows in the dipleg of more than 3 to 4 ft/sec. This results in a significant injection of fines into the inner vortex of the cyclone which results in much lower collection efficiencies.
2014
PSRI commissions a new 3-ft (0.9-m)-diameter by 25-ft (7.6-m) tall stripper fed with two risers to allow for solids fluxes of more than 25 lb/ft2-sec (125 kg/m2-sec).
2014
PSRI develops dynamic force sensors for quantifying dynamic and static forces on fluidized bed internals such as stripper elements and cooling coils.
2013
December 15, 2013
PSRI moves into its new office complex.
2013
PSRI purchases 5 acres of property that contained its existing research facility plus additional facilities for future expansion.
2013
PSRI develops its second generation fluorescent solids tracer technique that provides a 10X increase in the signal to noise ratio which now makes it useful not only in fluidized beds but also in strippers and risers.
2013
PSRI develops a method for using accelerometers on the outside of cyclones and strippers for detecting the onset of flooding.
2012
PSRI, along with Syncrude, uses high speed video to discern the mechanism for particle coating and agglomeration by using liquid injection into a fluidized bed.
2012
PSRI uses CFD to confirm earlier work where protrusions may help with standpipe pressure build.
2012
PSRI used inexpensive accelerometers on a stripper to detect flooding.
2011
Segregation in the particle distributions based on size and density were evaluated in a riser for small and large glass beads and large polyethylene powder.
2011
PSRI demonstrates how vortex stabilizers can reduce cone erosion in secondary cyclones.
2011
Using fiber optic probes and wavelet decomposition, PSRI and the University of Colorado measured cluster appearance, duration, and frequency in all parts of a riser for smaller and larger Geldart Group B material.
2010
July 1, 2010 - Ray A. Cocco became the President and CEO of PSRI, Inc.
2010
PSRI and NETL quantify cluster behavior using high speed video analysis for the hydrodynamics in a riser.
2010
PSRI uses CFD to confirm that fiber optic probes can be intrusive and that a shield may mitigate this effect.
2010
Dr. S.B. Reddy Karri became the new technical director of PSRI. He is a third technical director in the history of PSRI.
2009
PSRI and NETL use high-speed video and a modified borescope to quantify the granular temperature in a riser with FCC catalyst powder.
2008
Using a custom boroscope and high speed video camera, particle clusters are captured in and above a fluidized bed of polyethylene and FCC powder.
2008
PSRI performs a round robin with seven other companies. Most diffraction techniques are incapable of providing fines results for bimodal distributions with the exception of Sympatec.
2007
PSRI confirms that existing jet cup attrition testing is insufficient. PSRI redesigns the jet cup to provide quantitative ordering of material with respect to attrition rates in a fast fluidized bed unit.
2006
PSRI documents how the addition of fines could actually lower the entrainment rate for fluidized beds.
2004
Gas bypassing is documented for deep fluidized beds of Geldart Group A powders.
2003
Cyclone operation is examined with respect to riser termination and solids loadings.
2002
Flow regime maps for riser performance including regions where upflow or downflow is at the walls.
2001
Design and operating specifications to prevent streaming flow in cyclone diplegs are developed.
2001
Design criteria for open area is needed for trouble free dipleg operations with splash plates.
2001
Design and operating specifications for trickle valves on secondary cyclones are developed.
2000
Similar to the first challenge problem, validation data from 8” ID x 72’ riser is made available to the modeling community.
2000
PSRI notes the nonlinear behavior of commonly used optical fiber probes. Redesigns probe to minimize this nonlinearity.
1999
PSRI joins the Multiphase Fluid Dynamics Consortium (MFDRC), a five year program designed to better develop CFD codes for granular-fluid systems.
1998
Design procedures are developed for standpipe configurations and the feeding of those standpipes.
1995
In an effort to provide the modeling community with validation data, PSRI provides data for an 8” ID x 72’ riser with an L-valve configuration.
1995
Jet penetration correlations modified for systems where solid particles are in the gas jets.
1992
Flow regimes are mapped. Correlations of choking and saltation velocities in dilute phase conveying is developed.
1992
Design specification and operating procedures, including aeration requirements, are developed for smooth standpipe operations for Geldart Group A and B powders.
1991
A new correlation for predicting the entrainment rate above TDH is developed. It is based on the coordinate system which was used to correlate the choking-velocity data in dilute-phase pneumatic conveying. A more accurate correlation to predict the critical velocity is also developed.
1990
Correlations for gas jets in a fluidized bed with a upward, downward or horizontal configuration is developed.
1989
Design and operating criteria is developed for dense phase conveying. Correlations for capacity is developed.
1988
PSRI confirms reports that a core-annulus profile in a large-scale riser can exist.
1987
IGT and IIT provide experimental facilities for PSRI. Ted M. Knowlton becomes Technical Director.
1985
Power law model for particle attrition in cyclones.
1980
Evaluation of Bahco Microparticle Classifier and subsequent development of PSRI classifier.
1976
Pressure drop correlation based on inlet, acceleration, barrel friction, and deceleration effects is developed.
1975
Design specification for aeration of a dilute phase conveying line with respect to feeding and elbows is developed.
1973
Design specifications for hole and pressure drop requirements to ensure good fluidization is developed.
1971
A consortium consisting of 9 companies is formed to address better understanding in particle technology. Fred Zenz is the Technical Director.
