Testing of New design of Mesh-coupled Axial Blade Distributor for Swirling Fluidization Operation

Abstract

All the fluidized beds have air distributor as their major component, which can have several variances. The distributor design worth proper investigations as it affects the quality of the fluidization. In this study, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) of a SFB, operated with a mesh-coupled air distributor, was carried out from top and side of the bed. The velocity vector fields of the particles and then the average velocities at different locations of the bed were generated by considering particle size and density as operational parameters. The experimental finds showed that there exist several partially differentiable layers during a swirling operation of the longer beds. The segregated bed includes a thin layer of particles swirling at the bottom of the bed and a thick layer in the middle of the bed followed by a slight bubbling at the top. It was also observed that the overall velocity of the particles increased with an increase in superficial air velocity. The uniform swirling of 3, 4 and 6 mm particles happened at superficial air velocities of 1.6, 1.8 and 2.2 ms-1, respectively.