Fluid Dynamics of Turbulent Fluidized Beds for Geldart’s Group B Particles

An in-depth experimental study of the fluid dynamics of turbulent fluidized beds with particles of Geldart’s Group B was carried out. For this purpose, fluidization behavior was investigated in different fluidized bed plants having diameters in the range of 0.05 m to 1 m. Pressure fluctuation analysis has been used as an identification tool for the turbulent fluidized bed regime. Different fluidization conditions have been investigated by variation of the fluidized bed properties, the bed material properties, and the gas properties. Based on the measured data, a correlation predicting the transition velocity from bubbling to turbulent fluidization is introduced. To investigate the local flow structure, capacitance probe measurements have been carried out. Using this measurement technique, local solids concentrations and properties of rising bubbles have been determined and analyzed. Finally, an empiric fluid dynamic model was developed using the local measurement data. It is mainly based on capacitance probe measurements and shows high accuracy in comparison to pressure data.