Experiment No: 03

Experiment Name: Investigation of liquid-solid and gas solid fluidized bed.

A 2.0 Objectives
1. To verify the Richardson zaki equation for liquid-solid fluidized bed.
2. To study the pressure drop characteristics of gas solid fluidized bed.
3. Investigate the behavior and properties of fluidized beds when interacting with solid
particles in the presence of both liquid and gas phases.

A. Investigation of liquid solid fluidized bed.

1.0 Introduction:
Fluidization is a process in which solids are caused to behave like a fluid by blowing gas or
liquid upwards through the solid-filled reactor. There are widely used in the processing
industries, for example, in fluidized catalytic cracking units for the production of high-
octane gasoline, heating units for continuous-flow paddy dryer, and fluidized bed drying on
quality of waxy rice, liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed for continuous protein recovery
protein recovery. The best advantages are that the particles are mixed well, continuous flow
processing, the best heat transfer and suitable for small and large scale operations. Then it is
necessary for Chemical engineering to learn and step up technologies. There are many steps
of regimes of fluidization, as shown in Figure. When the velocity of liquid passed through a
bed of particles is slowly continually, the particles are still not moving as the bed at rest.
This step is called a fixed bed. With increasing the velocity of the liquid, the particles start
moving where the drag force equals the weight of particles. This step is called the minimum
fluidization. At this point, the velocity is called a minimum fluidization velocity; Umf. After
this time, where the speed of the liquid increased, the formation of fluidization bubbles sets.
At this step, a bubbling fluidized bed occurs. The fluid velocity still increased; the size of
bubbles may become almost as big the same as the diameter of the bed. This step is called
slugging. If the liquid velocity increased exceeds the terminal velocity, the particle bed
under this condition called a turbulent bed.

A 3.0 Theory:
Any increase in liquid flow beyond U mr causes the bed to expand to a new height. The bed expands
uniformly from Ur to physical transport of the bed at the terminal settling velocity of the particles, U t.
The experimentally observed relationship on logarithmic co-ordinates between U and E has
prompted many workers to suggest the following correlation for spherical particles:

U=U₁ε n
This correlation which is also valid for sedimentation is now commonly known as the
Richardson- Zaki equation.

3.1A. Minimum Fluidization Velocity, Umf:

The velocity which initiates the bed to expand and fluidization starts, is called minimum
fluidization velocity.

2.2A. Terminal Settling Velocity, Ut:

During Fluidization, when the total force on the particles becomes zero, the particle reaches
to a constant velocity and that is terminal settling velocity. Liquid-fluidized systems are
generally characterized by the regular expansion of the bed that takes place as the velocity
increases from the minimum fluidization velocity to the terminal settling velocity of the
particles.

3.3A. Voidage:

It is the ratio of the pore volume to the bulk volume.

Vp k
Voidage,ε = Vp = 1−¿ H

When a fluid is forced through a static bed, three forces act on the particle. Gravity force
acts downward; buoyancy and drag force act upward. When these three forces are balanced,
the bed is fluidized. As long as the bed remains fixed, the pressure drop increases linearly
with velocity. After the bed becomes fluidized, pressure drop becomes constant.

A 4.0 Experimental Section:

a) Collected initial bed height.

b) Increase the water flow rate by controlling the opening valve.
c) Collected water for a particular time and weight the collected sample.
6.0 Observed Data:
Liquid-Solid Fluidized Bed Specification
Column dimensions: Diameter 2 inches; Length 2 ft
Particle : (Density gm/cm3; Diameter mm)
Liquid : Tap water at room conditions

Table 1. Liquid-Solid Fluidization

Flow increasing Flow decreasing
rate rate
Weight of Collected Height of Weight of Collected Height of
the water time the bed the water time the bed

7.0 Calculated Data:

For increasing:

Obs.N Mass Time, Height Mass flow Volumetric Supuerfici voidage,

O. of t of the rate flow al ℰ
water (sec) bed(m (kg/sec) rate(m*3/se velocity(m/
(kg) ) c) s)
1 0.15 30.38 0.1752 0.0049374 4.93746E- 0.00243224 0.43409
6 59 06 6 8
2 0.8 30.06 0.1841 0.0266134 2.66134E- 0.01311006 0.46141
5 4 05 9 7
3 0.92 29.94 0.1892 0.0307281 3.07281E- 0.01513700 0.47587
3 23 05 6 6
4 1.5 30.24 0.2057 0.0496031 4.96032E- 0.02443506 0.51793
4 75 05 1 5
5 1.7 30.34 0.2146 0.0560316 5.60316E- 0.02760179 0.53790
3 41 05 4 2
6 1.9 30.31 0.2286 0.0626855 6.26856E- 0.03087959 0.56614
82 05 7 2
7 2.2 30.31 0.254 0.0725833 7.25833E- 0.03575532 0.60952
06 05 3 8
8 2.35 30.37 0.2667 0.0773789 7.7379E-05 0.03811773 0.62812
92 1
 For decreasing:
Obs.N water( Time(s Heig Mass Volumetri Superfici Voidage
0. kg) ec) ht flow rate c flow al
(m) (kg/sec) rate(m*3/s velocity
ec) (m/s)
1 2.25 30.94 0.254 0.072721 7.2721405 0.035823 0.6095275
396 348 6
2 2.05 30.16 0.243 0.067970 6.7970805 0.033483 0.5932578
84 822 164 7
3 1.75 30.31 0.226 0.057736 5.7736705 0.028441 0.5612669
06 721 734 2
4 1.6 30.25 0.210 0.052892 5.2892605 0.026055 0.5295959
84 562 449
5 1.15 30.29 0.198 0.037966 3.7966305 0.018702 0.4993943
12 326 623 1
6 0.98 30.34 0.187 0.032300 3.2300605 0.015911 0.4723345
96 593 622 4
7 0.8 30.28 0.182 0.026420 2.6420105 0.013014 0.4576771
88 079 817 7
8 0.6 30.25 0.175 0.019834 1.9834705 0.009770 0.4340979
26 711 793 1

Calculation:
Given that, Colum dia, d =2 in = 0.0507 m
Cross section area, A= 0.00203
Density of water = 1000 kg/m^3

Increasing water flow rate :

Observation-01:
Mass of water, m = 0.15 kg
Collection time of water, t = 30.38 sec
.15
Mass flow rate of water = =¿ 0.00494 kg/s
30.38
0.00494
Superficial velocity of water, U = = 0.0024 m/s
1000× 0.00203
Voidage (ε) calculation:
For the fixed bed of spherical particles, ε0 = 0.43
Height of initial fixed bed, H0 = 0.17526 m
−k
Here, Voidage, ε = 1 or, 0.43 = 1- (k/o.1752)
H
So, k = 0.09918
Decreasing water flow rate:
Observation no. 1:

Mass of water, m = 2.25 kg

Collection time of water, t = 30.94 sec
2.25
Mass flow rate of water = = 0.07272 kg/s
30.94
0.07272
Superficial velocity of water, U = = 0.0358 m/s
1000× .00203
Here, Voidage, ε = 1- (k/H) or, 1- ( 0.09918/ 0.254) = 0.6095

From Figure – 01 ( Increasing velocity)

From Figure – 02 (Decreasing velocity)

Theoretical Calculation:
Fixed bed Voidage, ε= 0.43
Diameter of particle,D =(1.168+0.991)/2 =1.0795mm, or 0.00108 m (Tyler Mesh = (-14
+16)
Particle Density =2500 kg/m^3
Density of water = 1000 kg/m^3
2
( ρp−ρ w)× gD
Now, Umf = (0.0055)× (ε 3)/(1−ε )×
μw
( 0.43 ) ∗(2500−1000 )∗9.81∗(0.00108)2
3
=(0.0055) −3
= 0.00655 m/s.
0.890∗10
3 2
ℜ' 2 D P × ρg ×(ρp−ρw ) 2×(0.00108) ×1000 ×9.81 ×(2500−1000)
Again, 2 Re”^2= = =
ρU 3 μw
2
3 ×(0.890 ×10−3)2
150601.28

R'
Now for spherical particle from the plot, 2 Re”^2 vs Re’,
ρU
we get, Re’= 175
ρu t D
Then, Re’= ,
μ
−3
175×(.890 ×10 )
or Ut = = 0.14421 m/s
1000 ×(.00108)

From the Richardson- Zaki- equestion,

Umf = U t ε n
or, 0.00655 = 0.14421* (0.43)^n
So, n = 3.66

Graph:
 Voidage Vs Superficial velocity
10
Superficial Velocity

f(x) = 5.56080134057313 x + 0.398567840130816

R² = 0.953946357285654

0.1
0.001 0.01
Voidage 0.1

Graph: Increasing flow

Graph: Decreasing flow.

Part B: Investigation of 2-D and 3-D gas solid fluidized beds.

B 1.0 Objective:
 a) To study the pressure drop characteristics of gas solid fluidized bed.
B 2.0 Theory:

2.1B. Particulate Fluidization:

When the fluid and solid densities are almost same, the velocity of flow becomes moderate.
In this case, fluidization is uniform. This is called particulate fluidization. Here the dense
phase has many characteristics of liquid.

2.2B. Aggregative Fluidization:

When the fluid and the solid densities are greatly different or the particles are large, the
velocity of flow must be relatively high. In this case, fluidization is uneven, and the fluid
passes through the bed mainly in large bubbles. This is called aggregative fluidization. Here,
the dense phase has many characteristics of a gas.

2.3B. Bubbling:

Increase in gas flow rate after the minimum fluidization velocity, results in the formation of
bubbles which tend to increase the number and size of bubbles. Bubbles tend to coalesce and
grow as they rise through the fluidized bed.

2.4B Channeling:

The uniformity of fluidized bed is a function of the size and the surface properties of the
fluid. When the particles are less than about 50 microns in diameter, then tend to
agglomerate and therefore channeling takes place.

2.5B. Froude Number:

It is the ratio of kinetic to gravitational energy. Fr=- If Fr is less than unity, particulate
fluidization occurs and if Fr is greater than unity, aggregative fluidization occurs.

B 3.0 Experimental Procedure:

a) Sketch the flow pattern at different flow rate.

 b) Physically observe the gas-solid fluidized bed and record the pressure drop for each
corresponding velocity of air.

B 5.0 Observed Data Table:

For gas-solid fluidized bed:

Column diameter, D2 = 6 inch = 15.24 cm

Table 2: Observed data of flow rate of air, heights in manometer for gas-solid
fluidization bed.

Height of the manometer fluid

Flow rate of air
Observation no. (inch of CCl4)
q (L/min)
Left Right
1 40 35.4 28.9

2 75 35.45 28.65

3 140 35.57 28.6

4 250 35.8 28.5

5 300 35.9 28.4

7.0 Calculated Data:

Obs Flow rate Area Superficial Left Right(m Pressure
. of (m^2) velocity,(m/s (m) ) drop,(m)
No. air(m^3/s) )
 1 0.00067 0.01824 0.036732456 0.899 0.734 0.1651
1
2 0.00125 0.01824 0.068530702 0.900 0.7277 0.1727
4
3 0.00233 0.01824 0.127741228 0.903 0.7264 0.177
4
4 0.00417 0.01824 0.228618421 0.909 0.7239 0.1854
3
5 0.005 0.01824 0.274122807 0.9118 0.7213 0.1905

8.0 Calculation:
Given that, Column diameter = 6 in =0.1524 m
3.1416
Cross-sectional area, A = (.1524) ^2 = 0.01824 m^2
4
For observation no. 1:
Air flow rate ,Q = 50 L/min = 0.00067 m^3/s
0.00067
Superficial velocity of air, U = = 0.03673 m/s
0.01824
Manometer left reading = 35.4 in = 0.8991m
Manometer right reading =28.9 in = 0.7340 m
Pressure drop = (0.8991 – 0.7340) = 0.1651 m of CCl4

9.0 Graph:

Flow rate of air(m^3/s)

10
Pressure drop

f(x) = 5.34986444526833 x + 0.1637809638289

0.1 R² = 0.972546098672673
0.0001 0.001 0.01

Supreficial velocity
B 6.0 Flow Regime Table:

Obs. Velocity Figure Comments

No.
01 40 Fixed bed
(Gas low velocity)

02 100 Bubbling
(Initial increasing gas velocity and creates
bubble)

03 120 Slugging
In the slugging fluidization regime the gas
slugs have velocities close to the gas
velocity and will push the packets of solids
or plugs above them up with about the
same velocity.

04 140 Channeling
"Channeling solids" typically refers to a
phenomenon or process in materials
science or engineering where the flow of a
substance, often a liquid or gas, is
concentrated or directed within specific
channels or pathways within a solid
material.
 05 160 Spouting
"Spouting" in the context of a fluidized
bed refers to the movement of the particles
in the bed due to the upward flow of gas or
liquid. When the gas or liquid flows
through the bed, it causes the particles to
move and create a spout-like effect where
the particles are lifted and circulate within
the bed.

Discussion:
The experiment "Investigation of liquid-solid and gas-solid fluidized bed" aims to study and
compare the behavior and characteristics of fluidized beds using different fluidizing mediums,
specifically liquid and gas. Fluidized beds are widely used in various industrial processes due to
their efficient mixing, heat transfer, and mass transfer capabilities.

The experimental values deviate somewhat from the theoretical values. In calculation, it is
assumed that the particles are ideally spherical but it is not true for practical purposes especially
when resin particles are used. When flow of water is increased to a higher value, it has become
increasingly difficult to measure the height of the fluidized bed. This situation led to improper
scaling of the height, which have induced a significant error in the accompanying calculations.
Another reason is that as the velocity approaches the minimum fluidization velocity, some bed
expansion normally occurs before the pressure drop reaches the buoyant weight per unit area of
bed. Therefore, the container walls exert some frictional forces on the bed. For liquid-solid
fluidization the superficial velocity vs. voidage plot in logarithmic scale for both the increasing
and decreasing height shows straight line with a slope which was the Richardson-Zaki index. In
the second part of the experiment (the gas-solid system) the pressure drop behavior was observed
with the change of flow rate of gas. Here the gas was air. And the observation shows that at less
velocity the bed height was increased and the some bubble type voidage was seen. But as the
velocity was increased the continuous big voidage was observed and at the same time
tremendous movement of solid particle was seen. We have plotted pressure drop against velocity
of air on log-log graph.