Hydrodynamic Characteristics of a Fluidized Bed with Rotating Distributor

Abstract

The performance of a novel rotating distributor fluidized bed is presented. The pressure drop and the standard deviation of pressure fluctuations were used to find the minimum fluidization velocity, Umf, and to characterize the quality of fluidization at different rotational speeds of the distributor plate. Experiments were conducted in the freely bubbling regime in a 0.19 m i.d. fluidized bed, operating with Group B particles according to Geldart’s classification. A decrease in Umf is observed when the rotational speed increases. Frequency analysis of pressure fluctuations shows that fluidization can be controlled by the adjustable rotational speed, at several excess gas velocities.