Effect of slugging phenomena on drag coefficient in fluidized beds

The effect of slugging phenomena on the drag coefficient in fluidized beds is assessed by developing theoretical and experimental analyses of this problem. The theoretical analysis of the slugging in fluidized beds was based on a momentum balance equation for the axial flow of gas around a slug and Meshchersky's differential equation of motion of a slug having variable mass. To predict the flow rate of the gas flow through the slug, the authors have used the Blake-Kozeny-Carman equation. From the analytical solution of the problem, the expressions for the pressure drop and the drag coefficient as functions of the Reynolds number, slug porosity, gas viscosity and chamber sizes have been developed. Experiments were run in a fluidization chamber with foundry sand of 2.593 g/cc average density and 30-270 mesh size at three different values of the fixed bed height. The results of simulations demonstrate that both the drag coefficient and the resistance factor decrease with increasing the Reynolds number and increasing the porosity of slug. A comparison of the results obtained in the experiments demonstrates a qualitative agreement with the theoretical model simulations.