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Fluidization 1
Fluidization 1
At a certain velocity, Pressure drop across the bed counterbalances the effective force of gravity or the
effective weight of the bed.
Any further increase in the velocity causes the particles to move (point A on the fig. ).
Sometimes, the bed expands slightly, with grains still in contact, with small change in Vo, slight
increase in ԑ is observed while ΔP remains constant.
With further increase in the velocity, particles become separated enough to move about in the
bed and true fluidization begins ( point B on fig.)
Once the bed is fluidized, ΔP remains constant but the bed height continue to increase with
increasing flow.
Minimum Fluidization Velocity
If the flow rate to the fluidized bed is gradually reduced, ΔP remains constant but the bed height
decreases following Line BC, which was observed for increasing the velocity,
However the final bed height will be greater than the initial value of the fixed bed.
On starting up again, the pressure drop offsets the weight of the bed at point B and this point rather than
point A must be considered to give the minimum fluidization velocity. Vom
More reproducible values of Vom can be obtained from the intersection of the graphs of the
fixed and the fluidized beds.
Minimum Fluidization Velocity
An equation for the minimum fluidization can be obtained by setting the pressure drop across the
bed equal to the effective weight of the bed per unit cross section. Consider buoyancy force as well.
𝜋 2 𝜋 2
∆𝑃 𝐷 = 𝐷 L 1 − 𝜀 𝜌𝑃 − 𝜌𝑓
4 4
Buoyancy is an upward thrust exerted by the fluid that opposed the weight of an immersed object.
∆𝑃 = L 1 − 𝜀𝑀 𝜌𝑃 − 𝜌𝑓
Minimum Fluidization Velocity
At incipient fluidization, Ergun equation is written as:
2 2
150𝜇𝐿𝑉𝑜𝑀 1 − 𝜀𝑀 1.75 𝐿 𝜇 𝑉𝑂𝑀 1 − 𝜀𝑀
∆𝑃 = 3 + 3
ɸ2𝑠 𝐷𝑃2 𝜀𝑀 ɸ𝑠 𝐷𝑃 𝜀𝑀
2
150𝜇𝑉𝑜𝑀 1 − 𝜀𝑀 1.75 𝜇 𝑉𝑂𝑀
𝜌𝑃 − 𝜌𝑓 = 3 + 3
ɸ2𝑠 𝐷𝑃2 𝜀𝑀 ɸ𝑠 𝐷𝑃 𝜀𝑀
For very small particles only laminar flow term of the Ergun equation is significant, with Rep ˂ 1,
the equation for minimum velocity becomes.
3
𝜌𝑃 − 𝜌𝑓 ɸ2𝑠 𝐷𝑃2 𝜀𝑀
𝑉𝑜𝑀 ≈
150𝜇 1 − 𝜀𝑀