Equation of state and radial distribution functions of FCC particles in a CFB

Kinetic theory of granular flow was verified experimentally for flow of fluid catalytic cracking particles in a vertical pipe. Measurements of particle pressure using a differential transducer and granular temperature with a digital camera as a function of bulk density, determined using an X-ray densitometer, showed that a relation exists among pressure, temperature, and density, analogous to the ideal gas law. In the limit of zero solids volume fraction: (Solid Pressure)/[(Granular Temperature) x (Bulk Density)] = 1.0. Measurements of radial distribution functions using the digital camera showed that their peak values occur at particle contact and lie between the predictions from the Bagnold equation and Carnahan - Starling equation. The hard sphere model was corrected for a cohesive pressure using the minimum in the measured radial distribution function. The new model agrees with the pressure measurements in the dense regime.