Flow of solids in an interconnected fluidized beds system investigated using positron emission particle tracking

The technique of Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) is applied to analyse non-intrusively solids flow in a laboratory scale Interconnected Fluidized Beds system. It is shown that, with a high performance tracking system, it is possible to extract from the data not only the Eulerian ensemble average velocity field, but also to reconstruct density profiles and to calculate mass flows in a solids circulation system. The most interesting flow characteristics inside the Interconnected Fluidized Bed system are highlighted. Although the data analysis is largely Eulerian, a first approach to a Lagrangian analysis has been performed through the computation of velocity autocorrelation functions. Characteristic frequencies of the solids movement could not be identified, but the velocity autocorrelations did provide insight in the dynamics of the solids movement.