Fluidisation

6.1.2. Effect of fluid velocity on pressure

gradient and pressure drop
When a fluid flows slowly upwards through a
bed of very fine particles the flow is streamline
and a linear relation exists between pressure
gradient and flowrate.
If the pressure gradient (P/l) is plotted
against the superficial velocity (uc) using
logarithmic co-ordinates a straight line of unit
slope is obtained, as shown in Figure 6.1.
 uc > terminal velocity
uc = terminal velocity.
Incipient transport of
particles

buoyancy effect starts frictional wall effect is

to work. Incipient working in transport bed
fluidised bed

P is due to s - from incipient fluidisation until incipient transport of

particles. At fluidisation, particles can be treated as hindered settling.
At transport of particles, they can be treated as free settling
 As the superficial velocity approaches the
minimum fluidising velocity (umf ), the bed starts
to expand and when the particles are no longer
in physical contact with one another the bed is
fluidised. The pressure gradient then becomes
lower because of the increased voidage and,
consequently, the weight of particles per unit
height of bed is smaller (due to buoyancy
effect).
 This fall continues until the velocity is high
enough for transport of the material to take place,
and the pressure gradient then starts to increase
again because the frictional drag of the fluid at
the walls of the tube starts to become significant.
When the bed is composed of large particles, the
flow will be laminar only at very low velocities
and the slope s of the lower part of the curve will
be greater (1 < s < 2) and may not be constant,
particularly if there is a progressive change in
flow regime as the velocity increases.
 If the pressure across the whole bed instead of
the pressure gradient is plotted against
velocity, also using logarithmic coordinates as
shown in Figure 6.2, a linear relation is again
obtained up to the point where expansion of
the bed starts to take place (A), although the
slope of the curve then gradually diminishes as
the bed expands and its porosity increases.
As the velocity is further increased, -P passes
through a maximum value (B) and then falls
slightly and attains an approximately constant
value that is independent of the fluid velocity
(CD).
 Particles are just resting
on one another
frictional forces between
particles are none

P is due to s -

frictional forces between frictional forces

particles work to all
particles when uc is
increased until point B
between particles
decreases more and
more until none at C
 If the fluid velocity is reduced again, the bed
contracts until it reaches the condition where the
particles are just resting on one another (E).
The porosity then has the maximum stable value
which can occur for a fixed bed of the particles.
If the velocity is further decreased, the structure
of the bed then remains unaffected provided that
the bed is not subjected to vibration.
The pressure drop (EF) across this reformed
fixed bed at any fluid velocity is then less than
that before fluidisation.
 If the velocity is now increased again, it might
be expected that the curve (FE) would be
retraced and that the slope would suddenly
change from 1 to 0 at the fluidising point.
This condition is difficult to reproduce,
however, because the bed tends to become
consolidated again unless it is completely free
from vibration.
In the absence of channelling, it is the shape
and size of the particles that determine both
the maximum porosity and the pressure drop
across a given height of fluidised bed of a
given depth.
 In an ideal fluidised bed -P corresponding to
ECD is equal to the buoyant weight of particles
per unit area.
In practice, it may deviate appreciably from this
value as a result of channelling and the effect
of particle-wall friction.
Point B lies above CD because the frictional
forces between the particles have to be
overcome before bed rearrangement can take
place.
 The minimum fluidising velocity, umf , may be
determined experimentally by measuring -P across
the bed for both increasing and decreasing velocities
and plotting the results as shown in Figure 6.2.
The two best straight lines are then drawn through
the experimental points and the velocity at their point
of intersection is taken as the minimum fluidising
velocity.
Linear rather than logarithmic plots are generally
used, although it is necessary to use logarithmic plots
if the plot of pressure gradient against velocity in the
fixed bed is not linear.
 The theoretical value of the minimum fluidising
velocity may be calculated from the equations
given in Chapter 4 for the relation between
pressure drop and velocity in a fixed packed
bed, with the pressure drop through the bed =
the effective weight of particles per unit area,
and the porosity set at the maximum value that
can be attained in the fixed bed.
 In a fluidised bed, the total frictional force on the
particles under condition similar to hindered settling
= the effective weight of the bed.
Thus, in a bed of unit cross-sectional area, depth l,
and porosity e, the additional pressure drop across
the bed attributable to the layout weight of the
particles is given by:
.
where: g is the acceleration due to gravity and s
and are the densities of the particles and the fluid
respectively.
This relation applies from the initial expansion of
the bed until transport of solids takes place.
 There may be some discrepancy between the
calculated and measured minimum velocities for
fluidisation.
This may be attributable to channelling, as a
result of which the drag force acting on the bed is
reduced, to the action of electrostatic forces in
case of gaseous fluidisation particularly important
in the case of sandsto agglomeration which is
often considerable with small particles, or to
friction between the fluid and the walls of the
containing vessel
 If flow conditions within the bed are streamline,
the relation between fluid velocity uc, pressure
drop (P) and voidage e is given, for a fixed
bed of spherical particles of diameter d, by the
Carman-Kozeny equation (4.12a) which takes
the form:
.

Substituting for P from equation 6.1 into

equation 6.2 gives:
.
 6.1.3. Minimum fluidising velocity
As the upward velocity of flow of fluid through a
packed bed of uniform spheres is increased, the
point of incipient fluidisation is reached when
the particles are just supported in the fluid.
The corresponding value of the minimum
fluidising velocity (umf ) is then obtained by
substituting emf into equation 6.3 to give:

Eq. 6.4 is derived from Eq. 6.3 using uc

 Since equation 6.4 is based on the Carman
Kozeny equation, it applies only to conditions
of laminar flow, and hence to low values of the
Reynolds number for flow in the bed.
In practice, this restricts its application to fine
particles. The value of emf will be a function of
the shape, size distribution and surface
properties of the particles.
Substituting a typical value of 0.4 for emf in
equation 6.4 gives:
 When the flow regime at the point of incipient
fluidisation is outside the range over which the
Carman-Kozeny equation is applicable, it is
necessary to use one of the more general
equations for the pressure gradient in the bed
such as the Ergun equation as:

where d is the diameter of the sphere

Substituting e = emf at the incipient fluidisation point
and for P from equation 6.1, equation 6.6 is then
applicable at the minimum fluidisation velocity umf,
and gives:
 where Remf is the Reynolds number at the minimum
fluidising velocity and equation 6.8 then becomes:
 Example 6.2
Oil, of density 900 kg/m3 and viscosity 3
mNs/m2, is passed vertically upwards through
a bed of catalyst consisting of approximately
spherical particles of diameter 0.1 mm and
density 2600 kg/m3.
At approximately what mass rate of flow per
unit area of bed will (a) fluidisation, and (b)
transport of particles occur?
 Solution

In this problem, s = 2600 kg/m3, = 900 kg/m3,

= 3.0 103 Ns/m2 and d = 0.1 mm = 1.0
104 m.
As no value of the voidage is available, e will be
estimated by considering eight closely packed
spheres of diameter d in a cube of side 2d (one
box of width of 2d contains 8 spheres). Thus:.