Some hydrodynamic investigations of a magnetically stabilized air-fluidized bed of ferromagnetic particles

Abstract

To gain fundamental understanding about the structure of a magnetically stabilized bed, an experimental facility has been designed, fabricated and tested. In particular, experimental data on spherical steel shots of three different sizes are reported as a function of increasing and decreasing fluidization velocities. Experimental data of bed pressure drop, bed voidage and mass minimum bubbling velocity reveal that bed behavior and its structure can be understood in terms of three broad categories of the applied uniform magnetic field intensity. The bed properties and its distinguishing features in the weak, moderate and strong magnetic field regions are reported. Earlier in the literature, somewhat similar classifications have been proposed on the basis of heat transfer and theological measurements.