Experimental Studies on Hydrodynamics Characteristics of Co-current Three Phase Fluidization Using Different Sizes of Glass Beads and its Prediction by Fuzzy Logic

Anish T Achankunju

doi:10.4172/2157-7048.1000163

Abstract

The experiment was carried out with different sizes of Glass beads. That is Glass beads of diameter 0.2 cm, 0.4 cm, 0.6 cm. Water was used as a continuous phase and air was used as a dispersed phase. These three different sized Glass beads were used as solids for co-current studies. The three sections of the experimental setup viz. gas liquid disengagement section, test section and gas liquid distributed section. The experiment was conducted with Glass beads with varying liquid velocities and keeping constant gas velocity 0.16985138 cm/sec, 0.212314225 cm/sec, 0.304317056 cm/sec, 0.346779901 cm/sec. The graphs were plotted and their effects on individual phase holdups for various particle sizes were studied. Pressure drop of fluids in the fluidized bed was measured by using mercury manometer and by using ethyl acetate manometer. The phase holdups like solid, liquid, gas were determined, liquid holdup and solid holdup decreases with increase in liquid velocity whereas gas holdup increases with increases in liquid velocity. With the experimental data, simulation studies were carried out using Fuzzy Logic.

Highlights

Fluidization is the operation by which solid particles are transformed into a fluid like state through suspension in a gas or liquid
Pressure drop is higher for large particle sizes
Phase holdups, bed porosity and pressure drop in a gas-liquid-solid fluidized bed showed a marked variation with particle size and liquid flow rate at constant gas flow rate

Summary

Introduction

Fluidization is the operation by which solid particles are transformed into a fluid like state through suspension in a gas or liquid. A fluidized bed is formed when a quantity of a solid particulate substance (usually present in a holding vessel) is placed under appropriate conditions to cause the solid/fluid mixture to behave as a fluid [1]. This is usually achieved by the introduction of pressurized fluid through the particulate medium. An object denser than the bulk of the bed will sink, while one lighter than the bed will float

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