Hydrodynamic characteristics of a rectangular gas-driven inverse liquid-solid fluidized bed

The hydrodynamic characteristics of a rectangular gas-driven inverse liquid-solid fluidized bed(GDFB)using particles of different diameters and densities were investigated in detail.Rising gas bubbles cause a liquid upflow in the riser portion,enabling a liquid downflow that causes an inverse fluidization in the downer portion.Four flow regimes(fixed bed regime,initial fluidization regime,complete fluidization regime,and circulating fluidization regime)and three transition gas velocities(initial fluidization gas velocity,minimum fluidization gas velocity,and circulating fluidization gas velocity)were identified via visual observation and by monitoring the variations in the pressure drop.The axial local bed voidage(e)of the downer first decreases and then increases with the increase of the gas velocity.Both the liquid circulation velocity and the average particle velocity inside the downer increase with the increase of the gas velocity in the riser,but decrease with the particle loading.An empirical formula was proposed to successfully predict the Richardson-Zaki index“n”,and the predicted e obtained from this formula has a±5%relative error when compared with the experimental e.

Temperature influence on minimum fluidization velocity:Complexity,mechanism,and solutions

Fluidized-bed reactors are widely employed in various high-temperature industrial processes.Thus,it is crucial to understand the temperature effect on various fluidization phenomena,specifically the minimum fluidization velocity(U_(mf))that governs various aspects of fluidized bed behavior.In this study,we comprehensively analyze U_(mf) data from the literature to unravel the complexity and underlying mechanisms of temperature influence on this critical velocity.The research examines experimental data encompassing a wide range of temperatures,pressures,and solid particles.The analysis reveals that the influence of temperature on U_(mf) is fundamentally determined by the relative importance of hydrodynamic forces and interparticle forces within fluidized beds and is realized by three distinctive temperature-induced changes:gas properties,bed voidage,and physiochemical characteristics of particles.On this basis,an equation is derived to enable predictions of temperature influences on the minimum fluidization velocity under broad temperature conditions.

Modelling the bed characteristics in fluidised-beds for top-spray coating processes

A particle sub-model describing the bed characteristics of a bubbling fluidised bed is presented. Atomisation air, applied at high pressures via a nozzle positioned above the bed for spray formation, is incorporated in the model since its presence has a profound influence on the bed characteristics, though the spray itself is not yet considered. A particle sub-model is developed using well-known empirical relations for particle drag force, bubble growth and velocity and particle distribution above the fluidised-bed surface. Simple but effective assumptions and abstractions were made concerning bubble distribution, particle ejection at the bed surface and the behaviour of atomisation air flow upon impacting the surface of a bubbling fluidised bed, The model was shown to be capable of predicting the fluidised bed characteristics in terms of bed heights, voidage distributions and solids volume fractions with good accuracy in less than 5 min of calculation time on a regular desktop PC. It is therefore suitable for incorporation into general process control models aimed at dynamic control for process efficiency and product quality in top-spray fluidised bed coating processes.