FLUIDIZATION CHARACTERISTICS OF 2-DIMENSIONAL AND 3-DIMENSIONAL FLUIDIZED-BEDS

Experiments have been conducted with particles of sand (d(p) = 1,421 m u m), silica sand (d(p) = 171 mu m), glass beads (d(p) = 2,745 mu m) a nd wax pellets (d(p) = 5,476 mu m) in two- and three-dimensional fluid ized beds. In both beds, measurement of pressure drop as a function of superficial air velocity are taken and employed to determine the mini mum fluidization velocity and the variation of bed voidage with superf icial air velocity. Data analysis has made it possible to understand t he nature of frictional forces that the front and back bounding walls of two-dimensional fluidized beds caused on bed particles, as well as their dependence on particle shape. Information useful in the design o f fluidized beds has been generated. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Scien ce Ltd.