On the Effect of Fluidized Bed Viscosity on the Solid Circulating Rate Across a Tube Bank

Abstract

In many applications of fluidization, it is important to quantitatively analyze solid circulation behavior in order to design fluidized bed reactors. In this study, pressure drop equations for a Newtonian fluid was applied to solid circulating flow across a tube bank, and a new method of measuring the apparent bed viscosity with a simple rotating bar was developed. The measurement of fluidized bed viscosity was done in a bed of silica sand(d_p=0.582mm and 0.150mm) in the ambient condition.
It was found that the obtained viscosity enables prediction of the circulation rate of solids in fluidized beds with a tube bank, such as the Internally Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler.