Experimental study of droplet vaporization in a fluidized bed

The injection of liquid in a hot fluidized bed is used in many industrial processes. The larger droplets are likely to engulf particles and create agglomerates that should be avoided when a fast vaporization is expected. A new model is proposed to estimate the chances of agglomeration based on a critical bed temperature below which agglomerates form. This critical temperature for safe operating conditions is based on heat transfer between the particles and the liquid and takes the porosity of the solid into account. The model could be applied to pure and multi-component mixtures and has been validated experimentally.