The mass transfer rates from the surface of a spherical as well as a cylindrical body submerged in a gas-fluidized bed were measured for naphthalene, water and n-butanol. Under the same conditions, the frequency and the ratio of contact time to total time of bubbles rising along the body were measured to estimate the contact time. In addition, the amount of substance adsorbed at equilibrium on the particle surface was measured to determine adsorption capacity.
Analogously to the theory of heat transfer proposed by Yoshida et al., the process was analysed by use of mass adsorption capacity instead of heat capacity, and the rates are correlated by an empirical equation containing bubble frequency.