Gas and solids mixing in a turbulent fluidized bed

Gas and solids mixing characteristics in the bubbling and turbulent regimes of a gas‐solid fluidized bed are examined using helium and phosphor tracer techniques to obtain the gas and solids dispersion coefficients, respectively. The real time, quasi‐3‐D flow behavior is qualified and quantified by the electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) technique. The mixing behavior varies significantly with the flow regimes. As the gas velocity increases, axial and radial gas dispersion coefficients increase in the bubbling regime, reach a peak at Uc, the transition velocity from the bubbling to turbulent regimes, and then decrease. In contrast, as the gas velocity increases, axial and radial solids dispersion coefficients increase in the bubbling regime and continuously increase through Uc to the turbulent regime. Temperature and pressure have little effect on the gas and solids mixing behavior. A small quantity of fine particles is noted to drastically affect the gas and solids mixing behavior in the turbulent fluidized bed. The axial and radial dispersion coefficients of gas and solids reach their maximum when the fines content is about 15%. The ECT measurements illustrate the effect of adding fines on the flow behavior in the bed. A small quantity of fine particles disintegrate the bubble/void phase, significantly modifying bubble/void‐ and emulsion‐phase mixing behavior.