The distribution of bed density in an air dense medium fluidized bed with single and binary mixtures of Geldart B and/or D particles

Abstract

The distribution of bed density in an Air Dense Medium Fluidized Bed (ADMFB) with single and binary mixtures of solid particles was investigated for dry coal beneficiation. The effects of particle properties, superficial gas velocity, and mixture composition on the axial distribution of fluidized bed density were examined. A lower density region at the bottom of the fluidized bed with single particles has been observed, whereas the bed density at the upper part remains almost consistent. The increasing excess gas velocity does not change this trend although decreasing the overall bed density, however the binary mixtures of solid particles can be used to balance this non-uniform density distribution. A new equation has been derived to predict the bed density distribution, considering particle properties and fluidization characteristics. This correlation successfully accounts for the estimation of density distribution in ADMFB involving both single and binary mixtures of Geldart B and/or D particles.