Hydrodynamics of gas-solid fluidization of a homogeneous ternary mixture in a conical bed:Prediction of bed expansion and bed fluctuation ratios

Hydrodynamic characteristics of fluidization in a conical or tapered bed differ from those in a columnar bed because the superficial velocity in the bed varies in the axial direction. Fixed and fluidized regions could coexist and sharp variations in pressure drop could occur, thereby giving rise to a noticeable pressure drop-flow rate hysteresis loop under incipient fluidization conditions. To explore these unique properties, several experiments were carried out using homogeneous, well-mixed, ternary mixtures with three dif- ferent particle sizes at varying composition in gas-solid conical fluidized beds with varying cone angles. The hydrodynamic characteristics determined include the minimum fluidization velocity, bed fluctuation, and bed expansion ratios. The dependence of these quantities on average particle diameter, mass fraction of the fines in the mixture, initial static bed height, and cone angle is discussed. Based on dimensional analysis and factorial design, correlations are developed using the system parameters, i.e. geometry of the bed （cone angle）, particle diameter, initial static bed height, density of the solid, and superficial velocity of the fluidizing medium. Experimental values of minimum fluidization velocity, bed fluctuation, and bed expansion ratios were found to agree well with the developed correlations.

Bed expansion behavior and sensitivity analysis for super-high-rate anaerobic bioreactor

Bed expansion behavior and sensitivity analysis for super-high-rate anaerobic bioreactor （SAB） were performed based on bed expansion ratio （E）, maximum bed sludge content （Vpmax）, and maximum bed contact time between sludge and liquid （Tmax）. Bed expansion behavior models were established under bed unfluidization, fluidization, and transportation states. Under unfluidization state, Ewas 0, Vprnax was 4867 ml, and rmax was 844-3800 s. Under fluidization state, E, Vpmax, and Tmax were 5.28%-255.69%, 1368-4559 ml, and 104-732 s, respectively. Under transportation state, washout of granular sludge occurred and destabilized the SAB. During stable running of SAB under fluidization state, E correlated positively with superficial gas and liquid velocities （Ug and ul）, while Vpmax and Tmax correlated negatively. For E and Vpmax, the sensitivities of ug and ul were close to each other, while for Tmax, the sensitivity of ur was greater than that of Ug. The prediction from these models was a close match to the experimental data.

Prediction of interphase drag coefficient and bed expansion using a variational model for fluidization of small spherical particles

In this study,we applied the variational model to fluidization of small spherical particles.Fluidization experiments were carried out for spherical particles with 13 diameters between dp=0.13 and 5.00 mm.We propose a generalized form of our variational model to predict the superficial velocity U and interphase drag coefficientβby introducing an exponent n to describe the different dependences of the drag force Fd on fluid velocity for different particle sizes(different flow regimes).By comparing the predictions with the experimental results,we conclude that n=1 should be used for small particles(dp<1 mm)and n=2 for larger particles(dp>1 mm).This conclusion is generalized by proposing n=1 for particles with Ret<160 and n=2 for particles with Ret>160.The average mean absolute error was 5.49%in calculating superficial velocity for different bed voidages using the modified variational model for all of the particles examined.The calculated values ofβwere compared with values of literature models for particles with dp<1.0 mm.The average mean absolute error of the modified variational model was 8.02%in calculatingβfor different bed voidages for all of the particles examined.

Fluidization characteristics of different sizes of quartz particles in the fluidized bed

Fluidization characteristics of quartz particles with different sizes are experimentally investigated in a fluidized bed with an inner diameter of 300 mm and height of 8250 mm.Results show that the average solid holdup increases with the increase in superficial gas velocity and the decrease in initial solid holdup in the dense zone of the fluidized bed.The average cross-sectional solid holdup decreases with increasing bed height and superficial gas velocity.The bed expansion coefficient increases with the increase in superficial gas velocity and the decrease in solid holdup.Correlations of average solid holdup,average cross-sectional solid holdup and bed expansion coefficient are also established and discussed.These correlations can provide guidelines for better understanding of the fluidization characteristics.

A model for expansion ratio in liquid-solid fluidized beds

Liquid-solid fluidized beds are used in mineral processing industries to separate particles based on parti- cle size, density, and shape. Understanding the expanded fluidized bed is vital for accurately assessing its performance. Expansion characteristics of the fluidized bed were studied by performing several experi- ments with iron ore, chromite, quartz, and coal samples. Using water as liquid medium, experiments were conducted to study the effects of particle size, particle density, and superficial velocity on fluidized bed expansion. The experimental data were utilized to develop an empirical mathematical model based on dimensional analysis to estimate the expansion ratio of the fluidized bed in terms of particle character- istics, operating and design parameters. The predicted expansion ratio obtained from the mathematical model is in good agreement with the experimental data.

Hydrodynamics of three-phase fluidization of homogeneous ternary mixture in a conical conduit-Experimental and statistical analysis

Hydrodynamics of conical fluidized bed differ from that of columnar beds by the fact that a velocity gradient exists along the axial direction of the bed.The gas–liquid–solid fluidized bed has emerged in recent years as one of the most promising devices for three-phase operations.Such a device is of considerable industrial importance as evident from its wide applications in chemical,refining,petrochemical,biochemical processing,pharmaceutical and food industries.To explore this,a series of experiments have been carried out for homogeneous well-mixed ternary mixtures of dolomite of varying compositions in a three-phase conical fluidized bed.The hydrodynamic characteristics determined included the bed pressure drop,bed fluctuation and bed expansion ratios.The single and combined effects of operating parameters such as superficial gas velocity,superficial liquid velocity,initial static bed height,average particle size and cone angle on the responses have been analyzed using response surface methodology(RSM).A 25 full factorial central composite experimental design has been employed.Analysis of variance(ANOVA) showed a high coefficient of determination value and satisfactory prediction second-order regression models have been derived.Experimental values of bed pressure drop,bed fluctuation and bed expansion ratios have been found to agree well with the developed correlations.

Experimental investigation of hydrodynamics of liquid-solid mini-fluidized beds

Expanded fluidization behavior in liquid-solid mini-fluidized beds （MFBs） was experimentally investigated using visual measurements. Wall effects in the liquid-solid MFBs were identified and explained. The measured incipient]minimum fluidization liquid velocity （Umf） in the MFBs was 1.67 to 5.25 times higher than that calculated using the Ergun equation when the ratio of solid particle diameter to bed diameter varied from 0.017 to 0.091. The ratio of the Richardson-Zaki （R-Z） exponent obtained by fitting with experimental data to that calculated using the R-Z correlation varied from 0.92 to 0.55. A wider solid particle size distribution resulted in a smaller R-Z exponent. The influence of the solid particle material on Umf and R-Z exponent was negligible.

Hydrodynamics of a bubble-induced inverse fluidized bed reactor with a nanobubble tray

This paper reports on the hydrodynamics of a bubble-induced inverse fluidized bed reactor,using a nanobubble tray gas distributor,where solid particles are fluidized only by an upward gas flow.Increasing the gas velocity,the fixed layer of particles initially packed at the top of the liquid starts to move downwards,due to the rise of bubbles in this system,and then gradually expands downwards until fully suspended.The axial local pressure drops and standard deviation were examined to delineate the flow regime comprehensively under different superficial gas velocities.Four flow regimes(fixed bed regime,initial fluidization regime,expanded regime,and post-homogeneous regime)were observed and three transitional gas velocities(the initial fluidization velocity,minimum fluidization velocity,and homogeneous fluidization velocity)were identified to demarcate the flow regime.Three correlations were developed for the three transitional velocities.As the fine bubbles generated from the nanobubble tray gas distributor are well distributed in the entire column,the bed expansion process of the particles is relatively steady.

Hydrodynamic behaviour of Cellets^(TM)(Ph.Eur./USP)in a spouted bed using image processing method

The hydrodynamic behaviour of the spouted bed in the pharmaceutical industries has been found to be less addressed.The present paper has focused on the hydrodynamic characteristics of a spouted bed where the Cellets^(TM)(Ph.Eur./USP)is adopted as the bed material.Experiments are carried out with three different static bed heights(H_(0))of shallow depth(2D_(i)≤H_(0)<3D_(i))using two different particle sizes.The spouted bed employed with D_(i)/D_(0) of 5 has given the experimental information on external spouting(Ues)by mapping the pressure drop,and fountain height(H_(f))against the superficial gas velocity(U_(g))is rep-resented with the image contours,which show the intrinsic behaviour.All the 1000 μm and 700 μm particles have been found to exhibit symmetric and asymmetric spouting.With increasing U_(g),the fully suspended particles are limited to a certain height in the freeboard region due to the gas-solid cross-flow,which implies the clusters have identified with the image processing method.