Universidad Autónoma de Manizales

Reporte de Laboratorio – Mecánica de Materiales I

Manizales Colombia
Número: I-2018

Grupo:

THE PRESSURE DROP IN FLUIDIZED

AND PACKED BEDS

Por

Sebastián Durango
Cesar A. Álvarez

Manizales
 Table of Contents

Summary.......................................................................................5
Notations........................................................................................5
Introduction..................................................................................7
Materials and methods.................................................................8
Results and discussion................................................................10
Conclusions.................................................................................11
References...................................................................................12

Summary
The Ergun pressure drop equation is valid for packed beds. The
lack of consistent representation for ideally fluidized beds is due to
the fact that this equation neglects the variation of both the
tortuosity factor and the Kozeny factor with void fraction. Here
both are assumed to be functions of the ratio of the hydraulic
radius to a solid phase radius. The modified equation gives
consistent representation for equally sized spherical particles
fluidized in liquids.

Notations

a : distance between the rod centers in Emersleben´s model

c , co : constants,
dp : particle diameter, [cm]
dt : diameter of bed, [cm]
gc : gravity [ cm ⋅s−2 ]
k : Kozeny constant
k0 : value of k for straight channels
L : bed height, ¿]
Le : equivalent channel length, [cm]
L0 : L (1−ε ), [cm]
m : hydraulic radius, [cm]
ms : solid phase radius, [cm]
n : exponent in expression for tortuosity factor
ΔP : pressure drop, [ N ⋅m−2 ]
U : superficial fluid velocity, [cm⋅ s−1 ¿
uε :average velocity parallel to main direction of flow,
[ c m⋅ s−1 ]
α ,β : positive values
ε : void fraction
μ : viscosity [ p ]

Subindices
 0
: indicates a packed bed

1
: first approximation of
i
: inertia term
v
: viscosity term

Introduction
Interest in fluidization techniques has increased during the
last decade mainly because of the advantageous temperature and
contact conditions existing in a fluidized bed. However, the design
of such a bed requires a thorough knowledge of the flow conditions
present. For this, it is necessary that the problem of the relationship
between fluid velocity and bed expansion and the question of the
degree of two-phase fluidization be solved. An equation for the
pressure drop, which is motivated above into consideration, would
therefore give the solution to this problem.

μ uε
τ =k (1)
m

where
τ0 : Shear force
μ : viscosity
k : constant

U
uε = (2)
ε

ε : void fraction
U : superficial fluid velocity
m : hydraulic radius defined by

volume filled with fluid

m= (3)
wetted surface
 Materials and methods
The constancy of the factor k has been by Carman [ CITATION
PCC52 \l 9226 ] on the basis of Emersleben’s [ CITATION Eme25 \l
9226 ] of Navier- Stoke’s equation. He showed in this way that k
varies considerably with the void fraction. The starting point for
Emersleben’s simplified model was a certain Z- function, whit
which the flow between and parallel to an infinite number of rods a
square array could be described. The cross section of the rods is
determined by the Z- function and by the boundary condition that
the velocity is zero at the surface of the rods. When the distance a
between the rods is great compared to the rod dimensions, the cross
section of the rods is circular. With decreasing void fraction, this
model will pass over into a solid body and will finally result in
cylindrical channels with Poiseuille flow. The parameter Z 0 in
figure 1 refers to lines of equal velocity and is thus, because of the
boundary condition, equivalent to the shape of the cross section.
According to Emersleben’s theory we have

m 2 ε
(
k o=z= 2 π )
a f (ε )
(4)

where k 0 is equivalent to factor k for flow systems with no

tortuous channels and where z indicates that is a variable. The
function f ( ε ) can be obtained from figure 6. In Emersleben’s
[ CITATION Eme25 \l 9226 ] original article – unfortunately curve B
is incorrectly draw (the ordinate should be halved) and hence the
k 0 values previously obtained from it by Carman [ CITATION
PCC52 \l 9226 ] are not valid and should be corrected to the values
given in table 1. The agreement with previously given z−¿ values
for flow in tubes with different cross sections is good.
Table 1: Emersleben’s solution
Z0 ε z
-2 0,056 2,00
-1,8 0,122 2,08
-1,6 0,189 2,02
-1,4 0,256 1,95
-1,2 0,340 1,82
-1,088 0,398 1,52
-1 0,449 2,12
-0,8 0,518 2,18
0 0,686 4,01
1 0,800 5,01
3 0,904 7,34
4 0,929 8,80
5 0,047 10,6
7 0,972 15,0

Table 2: Geometrical factor

Cross Section z
Circle 2,00
Ellipse, axes 2a, 2b
Square 1,78
Equilateral triangle 1,67
 Results and discussion
a) A comparison can now be made between the relationship
found here for z 1 q 2ε =0,5 and the equations found earlier,
which are modifications of Stoke’s law:

Δ P 18 ( 1−ε ) μU 0
= (5)
L d 2q

According to Hawksley [ CITATION Haw51 \l 9226 ], who

used the viscosity relationship developed, the mean
suspension density, and the Dupit velocity relation, the
following substitution holds

k (1− ε)
U
U0= 2 e
[ 1−Q (1−ε ) ] (6)
ε

where k =5/2 the Einstein shape is factor and k =39/64

is the mutual interaction constant. On condition that the
exponent n in the expression for the tortuosity factor is
equal to 1/6, we can solve for, z 1 q 2ε =0,5

1 1−ε −4
[ (1−ε )
]
z1 q 2
ε =0,5 = ( )
2 ε
3
e 1−Q (1−ε)
(7)
 This is show by the fact that the void fraction equals zero
for particles in contact. Richardson and Zakie [ CITATION
Zak54 \l 9226 ], developed a cell-type model for
sedimenting spherical particles.
The particles were in a hexagonal type pattern in the
horizontal layers were either the same as the distance
between adjacent between neighboring particles in the
horizontal layer (configuration I) or were zero
(configuration II). Thus, ‘free surface model’ does not give
pressure drop values consistent with experimental data
because of the lack of correspondence between the model
and a sedimenting suspension

Conclusions
The author suggests that Ergun’s equation for the pressure drop in
packed beds
μ uε 2
τ 0=k + c0 ef uε (8)
m

whereuε =U /ε , should be modified in view of the tortuous

character of the equivalent channels so that the region of validity of
the equation can be extended to include ideally fluidized beds. If
the tortuosity factor q=Le / L is introduced, as has already bed
suggested by [ CITATION PCC52 \l 9226 ] for the viscous term, then
[ CITATION CBl22 \l 9226 ] equation becomes

μu
τ =z + c u2 (9)
m e f
where u=q uε andτ =τ 0 /q . Application to experimental data
shows that the tortuosity factor is a simple function, eq. (4), of the
ratio between the hydraulic radius and the solid phase radius, the
latter of which is defined in eq.(2). Eq. (8) includes the assumption
of identical void fraction dependence of the tortuosity factor in the
viscosity and inertia terms.

References

[1] B. F. C, «The Resistance of packing to fluid flow,» de

Transferencia , 1922, p. 415.

[2] P. Carman, Flui flow through packed columns, 1952.

[3] O. Emersleben, Das darcysche filtergresetz, 1925, pp. 601-610.

[4] Hawksly, The effect of concentration on the settling

suspensions and flow through porous media, 1951, pp. 114-
135.

[5] J. R. a. V. Zaki, The sedimentation of a suspension of uniform

spheres under conditions of viscous flow., Chemical
Engineering Science, 1954, pp. 65-73.