Fluidization

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 Fluidization
• When a liquid or gas is passed at very low velocity up through a
bed of solids, the particles do not move, and the pressure drop is
given by the Ergun equation
• If the fluid velocity is steadily increased, the pressure drop and
eventually the particles start to move and become suspended in
the fluid
• The terms FLUIDIZATION and FLUIDIZED BED are used to describe
the condition of fully suspended particles
• The particles behave like fluid when they are suspended in fluid
• The fluidized beds can be drained from the bed through pipes
and valves just like a liquid and this fluidity is one of the main
advantages of the use of fluidization for handling solids

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Advantages Disadvantages

• It has the ability to • Broad residence time

process large volumes of distribution of the gas due
fluid. to dispersion and bypass
• Excellent gas-solid in the form of bubbles.
contacting. • Broad residence time
• Heat and mass transfer distribution of solids due
rates between gas and to intense solids mixing.
particles are high when
compared with other • Erosion of internals.
modes of contacting. • Attrition of catalyst
• No hot spot even with particles.
highly exothermal • Difficult Scale-up due to
reaction. complex hydrodynamics.
• Ease of solids handling.
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 Conditions for Fluidization
• Consider a vertical tube partly filled
with a fine granular material
• The tube is open at the top and has a
porous plate at the bottom to support
the bed of catalyst and to distribute
the flow uniformly
• Air is entered from bottom and if flow
rate is low, it will exit from the top
without any particle motion

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 Conditions for Fluidization
• As the velocity is gradually increased, pressure drop also increases,
but the particles do not move and the bed height remains same
• At a certain velocity, the
pressure drop
counterbalances the
gravity on particles or the
weight of bed. Any further
increase in velocity causes
the particles to move. This
is point A
• With a further increase in
velocity, the particles
become separated and
start to move about in the
bed and true fluidization
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begins (Point B)
 Conditions for Fluidization
• Once the bed is fluidized, the pressure drop remains
constant across the bed and the bed height increases
with increasing flowrate of gas.
• If the flowrate to the fluidized bed is gradually
decreased, the pressure drop remains constant and the
bed height decreases following line BC
• However final bed height may be greater than the
initial height because the solids are packed in bed
more tightly than they settle after fluidization
• Minimum Fluidization Velocity
– The velocity of fluid at which particles are just supported by
the fluid is called minimum fluidization velocity

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 Types of Fluidization
• As the gas velocity in a fluidized bed is increased,
the system tends to go through various stages:

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Types of Fluidization

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Types of Fluidization

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Magnus Effect

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• Magnus effect is generation of a sidewise force on a
spinning cylindrical or spherical solid immersed in a fluid
(liquid or gas) when there is relative motion between the
spinning body and the fluid.
• It describes the curved path that is observed by spinning
projectiles.
• It is explained by
– Bernoulli’s principle and
– the pressure differences caused by relative differences in flow
velocities
• When the axis of spin is at right angles to the direction of
flight of the ball the Magnus force will be a maximum.

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• When the boundary layer separates symmetrically around the ball the
pressure is the same on both sides of the ball and there is no curving of the
ball in its flight.

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• For the rotating ball, the
greater velocity on one
side causes the air pressure
to be less on that side. This
results in a force pushing
the ball to that low-
pressure side and so the
ball curves in the air
• The wake is also deflected
to the opposite side.
• This curving effect is the
Magnus effect.

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