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.

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.

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.