Using stereo XPTV to determine cylindrical particle distribution and velocity in a binary fluidized bed

Nonspherical particles are commonly found when processing biomass or municipal solid waste. In this study, cylindrical particles are used as generic nonspherical particles and are co‐fluidized with small spherical particles. X‐ray particle tracking velocimetry is used to track the three‐dimensional particle position and velocity of a single tagged cylindrical particle over a long time period in the binary fluidized bed. The effects of superficial gas velocity (u f), cylindrical particle mass fraction (α), particle sphericity (Φ), and bed material size on the cylindrical tracer particle location and velocity are investigated. Overall, the cylindrical particles are found in the near‐wall region more often than in the bed center region. Increasing the superficial gas velocity u f provide a slight improvement in the uniformity of the vertical and horizontal distributions. Increasing the cylindrical particle mass fraction α causes the bed mixing conditions to transition from complete mixing into partial mixing. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 65: 520–535, 2019