Magneto-Stabilization of Fluidized Beds as due to Short Ranged Interparticle Forces

Abstract

We present an experimental study on the stabilization of bubbling gas-fluidized beds of magnetic powders by interparticle forces induced by an externally applied magnetic field in the cross-flow configuration. The samples tested consist of magnetite and steel powders in a range of particle size dp between 35 and 110 microns, allowing us to investigate the effect of particle size and material properties on magnetic stabilization. According to our observations, the stabilization physical mechanism is ruled by the jamming of particle chains created due to attractive forces induced between the magnetized particles. Even in the case of the horizontally applied field, these chains are mechanically stable at orientations close to the gas flow direction in agreement with the prediction of a chain model based on the balance between gas flow shear and interparticle magnetic force fm. Since fm is increased as dp is increased, the critical gas velocity at marginal stability vc for a fixed field strength B is seen to increase with dp. The yield stress of the stabilized bed s increases steadily as the gas velocity v0 is decreased below vc. Thus, s is increased with dp for fixed v0 and B. It is inferred also from our results that natural aggregation of fine particles due to the universal van der Waals interaction enhances the yield stress of the magnetically stabilized bed. A main conclusion is that interparticle short ranged attractive forces play an essential role on magnetic stabilization of fluidized beds.