LIQUID FLUIDIZATION IN CONICAL VESSELS

An investigation was made of the flow characteristics of conical fluidized beds. Liquid axial mixing was discussed on the basis of a tracer response measurement. The solid-particle diffusion coefficient was calculated from an empirical voidage distribution on the basis of a particle diffusion model. The results show that variations in flow regime, bed height and pressure drop with velocity in conical vessels are well predicted by the proposed method. The solid-particle diffusion coefficient in a conical fluidized bed is an order of magnitude larger than that in a cylindrical fluidized bed. The intense liquid- and solid-phase mixings in a conical fluidized bed make the bed voidage smaller and its dependence on liquid velocity less than that for a cylindrical fluidized bed.