CHE4162

Particle Technology

Lecture 7

Fluidized Beds

Rhodes: Chapter 7

Fluidised Beds - Example

Worked example 7.1
3.6 kg of solid particles of density 2590 kg/m3 and surfacevolume mean size 748 m form a packed bed of height 0.475
m in a circular vessel of diameter 0.0757 m. Water of density
1000 kg/m3 and viscosity 0.001 Pa s is passed upwards
through the bed. Calculate:
a) The bed pressure drop at incipient fluidization.
b) The superficial liquid velocity at incipient fluidization.
c) The mean bed voidage at a superficial liquid velocity of 1.0
cm/s.
d) The bed height at this velocity.
e) The pressure drop across the bed at this velocity.

Fluidised Beds - Example

Solution
a) Calculate the bed pressure drop at incipient fluidization
Incipient fluidisation

Bed pressure
drop, p

C
B

Umf

Gas velocity, U

Fluidised Beds - Example

MB 1 p AH
3.6 1 2590

0.0757

0.3498
pressure drop =

p
p

weight of particles - upthrust on particles

bed cross-sectional area

f
Mg - Mg

A
4817 Pa

0.475

Weight of fluid
displaced by
particles

3.6 * 9.81 3.6 * 9.81 1000

2590
4.5 103

Fluidised Beds - Example

b) Calculate the superficial liquid velocity at incipient
fluidization
Assume the voidage at incipient fluidisation is equal to the
voidage of the packed bed.
We can use the
Ergun Equation

p 150 U
H

xsv2

(1 ) 2

f U 2 (1 )
1.75
xsv
3

= 3.55 107 2 + 2.648 106

H
Umf = 0.365 cm s

Fluidised Beds - Example

c) Calculate the mean bed voidage at a superficial liquid
velocity of 1.0 cm/s
Use the Richardson-Zaki equation to estimate the expansion
of a liquid fluidized bed.

U U T

For Rep 500;

For Rep 0.3;
Calculated at UT

n 2.4
n 4.65

3
x
4 f p f g
2
CDRep
3
2

Fluidised Beds - Example

3
4 x f p f g
CDRe
3
2
2
p

Rep = 90

xUTf
Rep

UT 120 m s

Fluidised Beds - Example

U UT
For Rep 500;
For Rep 0.3;

D = 0.0757m

n 2.4
n 4.65

Rep = 90, so use the Khan and Richardson equation to

calculate n.

Ar

n 3.202

x 3 f p f g

0.460

6527.9

Fluidised Beds - Example

d. Calculate the bed height at this velocity (1.0 cm/s)

Mass of particles in the bed stays the same: M1 M2

H1A1 1 p H 2 A1 2 p
At incipient:
H = 0.475
0.3498

H1 1 1 H 2 1 2
H 2 0.572m

Fluidised Beds - Example

e. Calculate the pressure drop across the bed at this
velocity (1.0 cm/s)
Bed pressure
drop, p

C
B

Frictional pressure drop

is essentially constant
after fluidisation.

p
O

Umf

Gas velocity, U

Umf = 0.365 cm s

4817 Pa

Entrainment
Total entrainment rate increases with:
Increasing gas velocity

U (2 < n < 4)

Decreasing particle density

Decreasing particle size

Except Group C

Increasing fines fraction

Increasing gas pressure
Increasing gas temperature

Increases drag

Distributor design
(a) drilled plate

(b) cap design

(a) drilled plate

(b) cap design

(a) drilled plate

(b) cap design

(c) continuous horizontal

slots

(d) standpipe design

(c) continuous horizontal

slots

(d) standpipe design

(c) continuous horizontal

slots

(d) standpipe design

(e) sparge tube with holes

pointing downwards

(e) sparge tube with holes

pointing downwards

(f) porous plates

Good distributor
design is the key
to successful
fluidized bed
operation

Distributor design purpose

To prevent:

Even gas distribution

Even solids circulation

Poor gas distribution

Dead zones

Distributor pressure drop

High enough to ensure even distribution of gas:
Generally = 20% to 30% of bed pressure drop

Lower when U >> Umf

Greater for porous plates

(Upper limit)

Heat transfer in fluidized beds

Gas-Particle Heat Transfer

Nu 0.03Re1p.3

( Rep 50)
hgp x

kg

Gas-particle heat transfer

coefficients hgp are typically small

5 - 20 W/m2K

But, heat transfer areas are very large.

Heat transfer area

1 m3 of 100 m particles

Surface area = 30,000 m2

Melbourne Cricket Ground

Analysis of gas-particle heat transfer in

an element of a fluidized bed
gas temperature out = T g - T g
particle
temperature = T s
L

gas temperature in = T g

The energy balance across the element gives:

heat lost by the gas = heat transferred to the solids

Heat transfer in fluidized beds

(CgUg )dTg hgp a (Tg Ts ) dL
a
Cg

hgp
U

= surface area of solids per unit volume of bed

= specific heat capacity of the gas
= particle density
= particle-to-gas heat transfer coefficient
= superficial gas velocity

Integrating with the boundary condition Tg = Tg0 at L = 0,

Tg Ts
hgp a
ln

L
Tg 0 Ts
U rel gCg

Heat transfer in fluidized beds

Bed solids, Ts
5 mm

Feed gas, Tg0

For particles < 1 mm diameter:

(Ts - Tg0)

drops by half in first 5mm of bed

Heat transfer in fluidized beds

So:

Gas-particle heat transfer is not limiting

Bed-to-surface heat transfer is limiting .

Bed-to-surface heat transfer

Bed-to-surface heat
transfer coefficient,

h hpc hgc hr

Particle convective component

Gas convective component

Radiative component

Particle convective heat transfer

hpc
Hot solids

Particle convective heat transfer

hpc

Heat
exchange

Particle convective heat transfer

hpc

Cooled solids

Heat capacity
of solids

>>

Heat capacity
of gas

Gas convective heat transfer

Significant for particles > 800 m
Significant for high pressure

hgc

Gas flow

Heat transfer from bed particles

to an immersed surface
Stagnant gas film through
which heat must be conducted

Very small contact area

Range of fluidized bed-to-surface heat

transfer coefficients
Bed-surface heat
transfer
coefficient
(W/m2K)

800
hpc increases
with kg
hgc increases
with pressure

reduced particle
circulation

400

Group A
Group C

Group B

Group D

0
0.01

0.1

Mean particle diameter (mm)

10