On the Effect of Fluidized Bed Viscosity on the Solid Circulating Rate Across a Tube Bank

In many applications of fluidization, it is important to quantitatively analyze solid circulation behavior in order to design fluidized bed reactors. In this study, pressure drop equations for a Newtonian fluid was applied to solid circulating flow across a tube bank, and a new method of measuring the apparent bed viscosity with a simple rotating bar was developed. The measurement of fluidized bed viscosity was done in a bed of silica sand(dp=0.582mm and 0.150mm) in the ambient condition. It was found that the obtained viscosity enables prediction of the circulation rate of solids in fluidized beds with a tube bank, such as the Internally Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler.