Wake properties of a single gas bubble in three-dimensional liquid-solid fluidized bed

Abstract

Experiments were performed to investigate the wake properties of a single gas bubble in a three-dimensional liquid-solid fluidized bed via a video camera moving at the same speed as the bubble. The solids holdup in the fluidized bed varied up to around 10%. The bubble size varied from 5 to 20 mm with corresponding bubble Reynolds numbers ranging from 1000 to 6500. The bubble was observed to have two types of wake configurations depending on the bubble size: the asymmetric/helical vortex wake for small bubbles and the symmetric wake for large bubbles. The bubble shape and relative rise velocity in the fluidized bed can be well-represented by correlations developed for single bubbles in liquid media, although the bubble shape in liquid-solid media is slightly more flattened compared to that in liquid media. The bubble rocking frequency was found to be independent of particle properties and to correspond in magnitude to the vortex shedding frequency in a two-dimensional liquid-solid fluidized bed. The average primary wake size in three dimensions is comparable to that in two dimensions.