Comparison of the properties of segregated layers in a bidispersed fluidized bed to those of a monodispersed fluidized bed

Abstract

Since industrial fluidized-bed reactors typically operate with polydispersed particles, approximating such reactors as the superposition of corresponding monodispersed fluidized beds would greatly simplify their design and operation. To examine the validity of this superposition, we evaluate the effects of bidispersity by comparing three-dimensional liquid-solid monodispersed and segregated bidipsersed fluidized beds. This work demonstrates that, despite the clear segregation into layers that behave like monodispersed beds, the transition region is governed by complex bidispersed mechanisms that cannot be explained in terms of the particle behavior in the segregated layers.