Inertial flow structures in a simple-packed bed of spheres

The detailed characteristics of the interstitial velocity distributions in pores are critical to understanding heat and mass transfer in a Packed bed of granular material. The velocity distributions in a pore that models a simple‐packed bed were measured directly by a magnetic resonance imaging technique. With an increase in the Reynolds number from 12.17 to 59.78–204.74, the increase and decrease in main flow velocity did not correspond to the local pore geometry, as is the case with a creeping flow. This indicated that inertial forces dominate over viscous forces. For example, at the Reynolds number of 204.74, the fluid penetrated through the center of the pores like a jet with negligible change of velocity. Circulation in the surrounding stagnant spaces generated eight symmetrical eddies in the plane perpendicular to the main flow direction.