Experimental analysis of isothermal gas flow field in tubes packed with spheres

A method has been elaborated for experimental determination of the componen ts of the local velocity vector and of its modulus in a gas stream flowing through a tube packed with granular bed. The method was employed in novel e xperimental analysis of the flow held structure in the isothermal gas strea m at the inlet and at the outlet cross-sections of the bed packed randomly of spheres in a tube. The impacts of the gas flow rate, the sphere diameter and the bed height on the formation of the radial profiles of the velocity vector and of its components at both cross-sections were investigated. On the ground of the experimental data the radial profiles of the gas intersti tial velocity within the bed were evaluated according to the Dupuit-Forchhe imer hypothesis and they were analysed in relation to the parameters mentio ned above. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.