STUDY OF LOCAL PROPERTIES IN CONICAL SPOUTED BEDS USING AN OPTICAL-FIBER PROBE

The geometry of the spout, the local bed voidage, and the maps of velo cities and trajectories of the particles have been studied in conical spouted beds by means of a probe composed of three optical fibers plac ed in parallel. The overall analysis of these properties allows for un derstanding solid circulation in the contactor and at the interface be tween the annular and spout interface. The influence on the local prop erties of the geometric factors of the contactor (angle and inlet diam eter) and of the operating conditions (diameter of the glass spheres, stagnant bed height, - and excess of air velocity above that correspon ding to the minimum spouting) has been studied. The results are intere sting for a rigorous modeling of gas and solid flow in the contactor.