Numerical simulation of three dimensional fluidized bed using nozzles at bottom and experimental verification

For better understanding of gas and particle motion in a fluidized bed, we have solved numerically the locally averaged three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations and the Lagrangian equations of particle motions considering the collisions between particles and the mutual interactions between the gas and particles. Finite difference methods were used. In this simulation, the locally averaged variables, such as gas' velocities, were obtained by averaging the point variables over a very small region: which is one computational cell. Small stress terms caused by fluctuations from the: locally averaged values are neglected at the present stage. For calculating collisions, particles were treated as hard spheres of which collision time is zero, that is, a collision : occurs between only two particles. Results show that the hard sphere collision model : could be applicable to simulate the flow fields in relatively dilute particle concentration fluidized beds.