Edibon Fixed and Fluidized Bed Manual
Edibon Fixed and Fluidized Bed Manual
Edibon Fixed and Fluidized Bed Manual
TABLE OF CONTENTS
7 PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL ..................................................................................... 2
7.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE UNIT ................................................................................................... 2
7.1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 2
7.1.2 Description ................................................................................................................................................. 2
7.1.3 Practical possibilities .................................................................................................................................. 5
7.1.4 Specifications ............................................................................................................................................. 6
7.1.5 Dimensions and weights ............................................................................................................................. 7
7.1.6 Required services........................................................................................................................................ 7
7.2 THEORY ........................................................................................................................................ 8
7.2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 8
7.2.2 Theory ...................................................................................................................................................... 10
7.3 LABORATORY PRACTICAL EXERCISES ........................................................................... 20
7.3.1 Practical exercise 1: Pressure drop through fixed and fluidized beds (fluid: water) and fine particles .... 20
7.3.2 Practical exercise 2: Study of the pressure drop in fixed and fluidized beds (fluid: water) and
thick particles .......................................................................................................................................................... 23
7.3.3 Practical exercise 3: Study of the pressure drop in fixed and fluidized beds (fluid: air) and fine
particles. .................................................................................................................................................................. 26
7.3.4 Practical exercise 4: Study of the pressure drop in fixed and fluidized beds (fluid: air) and thick
particles. .................................................................................................................................................................. 29
7.3.5 Practical exercise 5: Verification of Carman-Kozeny equation................................................................ 32
7.3.6 Practical exercise 6: Study and determination of the minimum fluidization rate ..................................... 36
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
7.1.1 Introduction
The LFF unit allows a full study about everything concerning the flow of a
fluid through a particles bed, both fixed and fluidized. The unit allows the
simultaneous study of the water and air flow through the bed.
7.1.2 Description
Water is pumped from the tank, located at the back side of the unit, to the
bottom of the first column, going through a flow control valve and then through
either a flow meter (LFF) or flow sensor (LFFC).
There are glass beads of two different sizes for the bed.
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
7.1.4 Specifications
- Glass beads of two sizes as packing material for the columns: 170-
300 microns and 250-420 microns.
- Water pump.
- Compressor.
- Water regulation valve and flow meter of 0.07 – 0.55 l/min (LFF) or
flow sensor with a range of 0.1-2.5 l/min (LFFC).
- Air regulation valve and two air flow meters, one with a range of 1-
7.5 l/min and another of 3-21 l/min to cover the working range of the
LFF unit. If your unit is the LFFC, there is an orifice plate and a
differential pressure sensor to measure the air flow. Range: 0-20
l/min.
Dimensions:
Width: 570 mm
Length: 700 mm
Weight: 50 Kg
7.2 THEORY
7.2.1 Introduction
During the practice session, there has been an approach having as main
objectives the observation of the packed and fluidised bed behavior for the systems
flow-solid and gas-solid, apart from the determination of the main parameters that
have an influence on such behavior. Precisely, the main advantages of the fluidisation
consist on the flow that circulates through the bed agitates the solid vigorously.
Besides, the solids mix guarantees that practically there are no temperature gradients
in the bed, even with strongly exothermic or endothermic reactions.
There is some gas exchange between the burbles and the thick phase by
diffusion and by turbulent processes, such as the division and burbles coalescence;
but the global conversion of a gaseous reactant is, in general, much lower than the
one that takes place in the constant contact at the same temperature. An example
would be an ideal reactor with piston flow.
McCabe and Smith point out that although at present, the petroleum
industry uses transport reactors for the catalytic cracking instead of fluidised beds,
the catalyst regeneration is made still in fluidised bed reactors, which have until 10
meters of diameter. The fluidisation is also used in other catalytic processes, such as
the acrylonitril synthesis, and to carry out gas-solid reactions. There is a lot of
interest regarding the charcoal combustion in a fluidised bed, to reduce the costs of
the boilers and to decrease the pollutants emission. The fluidised beds are also used
for minerals hardening, for fine solids drying and for gases absorption.
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
7.2.2 Theory
As the flow rate gets increased, and therefore the flow is also increased (if
the surface is constant), some different steps in the bed can be pointed out:
Packed bed: Particles allow the winding pass of the flow without getting
separated one of each other. That makes the bed height is kept constant, and
therefore, the fraction of vacuum in the bed (porosity) is kept also constant. In this
stage, the flow undergoes the biggest pressure drop of the process.
Continuous Fluidisation: All the particles are stirred by the flow; that is
why the bed stops existing like one, whereas the porosity tends to 1.
When a fluid passes through a porous material, it flows through long thin
tortuous passages of varying cross section. The problem is how to calculate the flow
rate based on nominal thickness of the bed. This was tackled by Kozeny and later by
Carman. The result is a formula, which gives a velocity of flow in the direction at
right angles to the bed plane in terms of its thickness and other parameters.
The passage between the particles is so small that the velocity in them
is small and the flow is well and truly laminar.
P 32u´
l D2
A'
The ratio is :
A
This is known as the porosity of the material. The volume flow rate
through the bed is Q.
Kozeny used the notion that Q = Au, where u is the mean velocity at right
angles to the bed.
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
The volume flow rate is also Q = A’u’, where u’ is the mean velocity in the
tube.
Equating: u’=u A/ A’
A' u
Void fraction = u'
A
Carman modified this formula when he realized that the actual velocity
inside the tubes must be proportionally larger because the actual length is greater
than the bed thickness. It follows that:
ul '
u '
l
Where l is the bed thickness and l’ the mean length of the passages.
Substituting this in Poiseuille’s Equation gives:
P 32ul '
l lD 2
dP 32ul '
dx lD 2
Expressing:
A' A'
A A' As
Multiplying on top and bottom by the length l and the areas becomes
volumes, so:
V'
V 'Vs
Vs
V '
(1 )
Where V’ is the volume of the tubes and Vs the volume of the solid.
V' Vs
As As (1 )
4Vs
D
S (1 )
S = surface area of tubes but also the surface area of the solid particles.
d s3
Vs and S d s2 it follows that:
6
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
2d s
D
3(1 )
dP 72ul ' (1 ) 2
dx ld s2 3
dP 180u (1 ) 2
dx d s2 3
1 dV P
A dt r (1 L)
Where:
A = Filter area
t = Filtration time
l = Bed thickness
= Filtrate viscosity
Regarding the porosity, it is the vacuum fraction in bed and can be found
out through the following equation:
Vt Vo
o
Vt
where:
: Porosity, [adimensional].
Lo
1 o
L
where:
: Porosity, [adimensional].
For the study of beds, an important element is to know the pressure drop in
it. Precisely, McCabe y Smith point out that there are two equations to find out this
value. The first one is Ergun’s equation, which is used for packed beds:
P 150 f vo 1 1.75 f v0 1
2 2
L Dp 2 3 Dp 3
where:
: Porosity, [adimensional].
P
1 p f g (4)
L
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
where:
: Porosity, [adimensional].
For the study of the fluidised beds, the determination of three additional
parameters that allows its characterization. Such parameters are: Reynolds’ number
(Re) and Wilhelm’s and Kwauk’s parameters (KΔP y KΔρ). Reynolds’ number is:
f Dp v
Re (5)
f
where:
Dp 3 f g c P
K P (6)
2 2f O
L
where:
Dp 3 f g c
K f (7)
2 2f
p
where:
Qv A
where:
Q: Flow, [m3/s].
7.3.1 Practical exercise 1: Pressure drop through fixed and fluidized beds
(fluid: water) and fine particles
7.3.1.1 Objective
This practical exercise tries to study the pressure drops generated in a fixed
and fluidized bed system, for different thickness of the bed and different flows of the
liquid (water).
1. Fill the filtering column at the left side with some fine glass material
(170-300 microns) up to a specific height (for example: 50mm).
3. Switch on the pump (AB-1) and gradually open the flow regulation
valve (VR-1) until a low flow is obtained and the bed remains still.
Record the pressure drop generated in the column and the water flow
to which it corresponds.
4. Keep on opening the valve gradually and measure the pressure drop,
the flow of water and the height of the bed several times (starting
from an average between the higher and the lower height of the bed),
thus obtaining enough measurement points so as to perform the
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
study perfectly.
5. Repeat the experiment varying the initial height of the bed (for
example: 100mm).
1 2
2 2
3 2
- Check that the fixed bed is obtained at small flows and that it will be
kept while the initial height of the bed is maintained at all times.
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
7.3.2 Practical exercise 2: Study of the pressure drop in fixed and fluidized beds
(fluid: water) and thick particles
7.3.2.1 Objective
This practical exercise tries to study the pressure drops generated in a fixed
and fluidized bed system, for different thickness of the bed and different flows of the
liquid (water).
1. Fill the filtering column at the left side with some thick glass
material (250-420 microns) up to a specific height (for example:
50mm).
3. Switch on the pump (AB-1) and gradually open the flow regulation
valve (VR-1) until a low flow is obtained and the bed remains still.
Record the pressure drop generated in the column and the water flow
to which it corresponds.
4. Keep on opening the valve gradually and measure the pressure drop,
the flow of water and the height of the bed several times (starting
from an average between the higher and the lower height of the bed),
thus obtaining enough measurement points so as to perform the
study perfectly.
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
5. Repeat the experiment varying the initial height of the bed (for
example: 100mm).
1
1 2
2 2
3 2
4
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
- Check that the fixed bed is obtained at small flows and that it will be
kept while the initial height of the bed is maintained at all times.
7.3.3 Practical exercise 3: Study of the pressure drop in fixed and fluidized beds
(fluid: air) and fine particles
7.3.3.1 Objective
This practical exercise tries to study the pressure drops generated in a fixed
and fluidized bed system, for different thickness of the bed and different flows of the
gas (air).
1. Fill the filtering column at the right side with some fine glass
material (170-300 microns) up to a specific height (i.e. 50mm).
4. Keep on opening the valve gradually and measure the pressure drop,
the flow of air and the height of the bed several times (starting from
an average between the higher and the lower height of the bed), thus
obtaining enough measurement points so as to perform the study
perfectly.
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
5. Repeat the experiment varying the initial height of the bed (for
example: 100mm).
1
1 2
2 2
3 2
4
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
- Check that the fixed bed is obtained at small flows and that it will be
kept while the initial height of the bed is maintained at all times.
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
7.3.4 Practical exercise 4: Study of the pressure drop in fixed and fluidized beds
(fluid: air) and thick particles
7.3.4.1 Objective
This practical exercise tries to study the pressure drops generated in a fixed
and fluidized bed system, for different thickness of the bed and different flows of the
gas (air).
1. Fill the filtering column at the right side with some thick glass
material (250-420 microns) up to a specific height (i.e. 50mm).
4. Keep on opening the valve gradually and measure the pressure drop,
the flow of air and the height of the bed several times (starting from
an average between the higher and the lower height of the bed), thus
obtaining enough measurement points so as to perform the study
perfectly.
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
5. Repeat the experiment varying the initial height of the bed (for
example: 100mm).
1
1 2
2 2
3 2
4
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
- Check that the fixed bed is obtained at small flows and that it will be
kept while the initial height of the bed is maintained at all times.
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
7.3.5.1 Objective
1. Fill the filtering column at the right side with some thin glass
material (170-300 microns) up to a specific height (i.e. 50mm).
4. Keep on opening the valve gradually and measure the pressure drop,
the flow of air and the height of the bed several times (starting from
an average between the higher and the lower height of the bed), thus
obtaining enough measurement points so as to perform the study
perfectly.
- The initial height of the bed. Take into account that at a certain
moment the bed will not be able to fluidize because there will be too
many solids and it will be not able to expand itself or there will be
too much pressure drop in the manometers to measure it.
- The fluid (water or air) that passes through the bed. (*) NOTE: in
order to visualize the graphical representation better when
performing this practical exercise with water, work first with the
regulation valve totally open, obtaining the maximum flow at the
beginning and regulating the valve to obtain lower flows then.
1 2
1
2 2
4
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
The initial bed porosity can be calculated without the unit. For that
purpose:
- Add a known volume of bed packing (in this case, the thin or thick
glass particles, as it corresponds).
- Record that volume and add known volumes of water until the entire
added packing is covered. So:
A´ V ´l V ´
0
A V l V
3) Calculate the rate of the fluid and Ɛ in every case and complete the table
below:
- To calculate the rate, take into account the volume of flow of the
fluid and the section of the column.
Lo
- To calculate the porosity, since the area is constant: 1 o
L
Where:
: Porosity [dimensionless].
1 2
1
2 2
7.3.6.1 Objective
1. Fill the filtering column at the right side with some thin glass
material (170-300 microns) up to a specific height (i.e. 50mm).
4. Keep on opening the valve gradually and measure the pressure drop,
the flow of air and the height of the bed several times (starting from
an average between the higher and the lower height of the bed), thus
obtaining enough measurement points so as to perform the study
perfectly.
- The height of the bed. Take into account that at a certain moment the
bed will not be able to fluidize because there will be too many solids
and it will be not able to expand itself or there will be too much
pressure drop in the manometers to measure it.
- The fluid (water or air) that passes through the bed. (*) NOTE: in
order to visualize the graphical representation better when
performing this practical exercise with water, work first with the
regulation valve totally open, obtaining the maximum flow at the
beginning and regulating the valve to obtain lower flows then.
1 2
1
2 2
4
PRACTICAL EXERCISES MANUAL
The initial bed porosity can be calculated without the unit. For that
purpose:
- Add a known volume of bed packing (in this case, the thin or thick
glass particles, as it corresponds).
- Record that volume and add known volumes of water until the entire
added packing is covered. So:
A´ V ´l V ´
0
A V l V
3) Calculate the rate of the fluid and Ɛ in every case and complete the table
below:
- To calculate the rate, take into account the volume of flow of the
fluid and the section of the column.
Lo
- To calculate the porosity, since the area is constant: 1 o
L
Where:
: Porosity [dimensionless].
1 2
2 2