HYDRODYNAMICS OF NEARLY FLAT BASE SPOUTED BEDS

The hydrodynamic behaviour of a nearly flat base spouted bed (angle 150-degrees) was studied in a pilot plant unit, using solids of different densities and particle diameters and with different values of the contactor inlet diameter. It was determined that the equation of Mathur and Gishler with an exponent of 0.10 for the (D0/D(c)) modulus is suitable for calculation of the minimum spouting velocity. Original correlations for prediction of the maximum pressure drop, of the pressure drop for stable operation and of bed voidage in the bed expansion are proposed. It is proved that the maximum spoutable bed height can be calculated using the equation proposed by Morgan et al. for conventional spouted beds. For small particle diameters the equation of Malek and Lu is also valid.