Liquid dispersion in gas-liquid-solid circulating fluidized beds

This paper presents a pioneering study of liquid dispersion in gas-liquid-solid circulating fluidized beds. The effects of the operating parameters, such as the gas velocity, liquid velocity and circulation flux of solids, on the liquid axial and radial dispersion coefficients were investigated. The experimental results indicated that the axial and radial liquid dispersion coefficients increased monotonically with increasing gas velocity; the axial liquid dispersion coefficients were insensitive to changes in the liquid velocity, but the radial liquid dispersion coefficients decreased with increasing liquid velocity; both the axial and radial liquid dispersion coefficients increased with increasing circulation flux of solids. Compared with traditional expanded beds, gas-liquid-solid circulating fluidized beds approach the ideal plug-flow reactor more closely. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.