SIMULATION OF FLUIDIZED-BEDS AND OTHER FLUID-PARTICLE SYSTEMS USING STATISTICAL-MECHANICS

The expansion behavior and structural phenomena of fluid-particle syst ems was simulated using a method analogous to the Monte Carlo method f or molecular systems. Individual particles are moved and the resulting moves are accepted ol declined based on the change In the system's po tential energy and the average kinetic energy of the system. Several f luid-particle systems have been successfully predicted with the model including colloidal particle concentration profiles and random packing of uniform spheres. Additionally, predictions of steady-state fluidiz ed-bed expansion characteristics for uniformly sized stainless-steel s pheres and narrowly distributed nickel and glass spheres show excellen t agreement with the theoretical model used in the simulation and sati sfactory agreement with experimental data. Dynamic expansion predictio ns of both bed height and overall bed structure as a function of time also agree with the experimental data.