Fundamental and practical developments of magnetofluidized beds: A review

Abstract

This paper presents a review of the literature on the fundamental and practical developments of magnetofluidized beds (MFBs) for reaction, filtration and separation applications in gas—solid, liquid—solid and three-phase systems. A particular interest of our review is the discussion of the basic research and patented developments of magnetically stabilized beds (MSBs). We describe: historical developments of MSBs; the range of stabilized-bed operating conditions; MSBs of mixed-particle systems; nonconventional MSB systems; structure, solid flowability and rheological behavior of MSBs; gas-mixing behavior as well as heat and mass transfer in MSBs; countercurrent and crossflow MSBs as gas—solid contactors; and liquid—solid and three-phase MSBs. We also review the published literature on other MFBs in which the applied magnetic field may not be spatially uniform and the bed may not be stabilized ( i.e., bubbling). Following a discussion of the published fundamental research results, we describe a number of recent practical developments of other MFBs, including the fluidized-bed high-gradient magnetic separation (FBHGMS), the magnetic valve for solids (MVS), the magnetic distributor—downcomer (MDD), the magnetic transporter of solids (MTS) and the magnetic recirculator of solids (MRS).