APPARENT DENSITY VARIATIONS IN A FLUIDIZED-BED

The physical characteristics of a gaseous fluidized bed and their influence on the bed's apparent density were examined. The effects of air velocity through the bed, air distributor resistance, medium particles size, and the location within the bed were evaluated. Empirical equations were developed in order to relate apparent density average and variance to fluidization parameters using nonlinear regression techniques. The equations indicated correlation coefficients of 0.84 to 0.98 in respect to the experimental data. The results indicate that for each combination of an air distributor and medium, it is possible to find a specific air velocity through the bed, which ensures a constant average apparent density at all depths.