Fluidization (Overview)

 It is a process in which solid is caused to behave like fluid by blowing gas or

liquid upward through the solid filled reactor
 Physical operations (transportation, heating, cooling)
 Chemical Operations (reaction of solids with gases)
 Best contacting method in oil refinery
 Fluidization
When a liquid or a gas passing through bed of solids at low velocity,
particles do not move and ∆P is given by Ergun eq.
If velocity is increased, the ∆P and drag on individual particle
increases and eventually starts to move and become suspended in the
fluid.
 Suspension behave as dense fluid.
Fluidized particles can be drained from bed through pipes and valves
just as liquid can.
 Conditions for fluidization
Vertical tube partly filled with fine granular
material.
Tube is open at top and has a porous plate at
the bottom to support the bed of catalyst and
to distribute flow uniformly.
If the particles are very small, flow will be
laminar in channels and ΔP will be given by
kozney karman eq.
 Fluidization
Explanation: Page 165-166
McCabe Smith 5th Edition.
Minimum Fluidization Velocity
 As the velocity is gradually increased, the pressure drop increases, but the particles do not move so bed
height remains same.

 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.

At incipient fluidization, ԑ is the minimum expressed as ԑM.

∆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

From above equations:

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