Experimental and numerical investigations on the hydrodynamics of gas-solid fluidized bed with an inclined agitator

The effect of inclined agitation on the fluidization quality of a gas-solid fluidized bed is experimentally and numerically investigated. The pressure characteristics are characterized by the standard deviation of pressure drop and power spectra. The particle velocity, solid volume fraction and granular temperature distributions are investigated by numerical modeling. It is found that inclined agitation enhances the gross circulation of solid particles and enlarges the affect region of the agitator, improving the gas-solid fluidization quality. The increase in the agitation speed leads to higher frequency of collisions and more activity of particles, resulting in decreases of bubble sizes and a more homogeneous solid volume fraction distribution. Wide-blade agitator can also improve the fluidization performance. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.