A study on fluidization of a ternary mixture characteristic of the bio-oil production process

There are few studies on the ternary mixtures fluidization, and none of them addresses mixtures found in bio-oil production. We analyzed the fluidization of sand, sisal residue, and biochar used in bio-oil production. Tests were carried out varying the particle size and the mass fractions. The experimental design was used to identify the influence of operational variables on the final fluidization velocity ( U ff ) and segregation (S). The response surfaces described the influence of variables interactions on the U ff and S. The results indicate that the lowest final fluidization velocity and segregation percentage were noticed for the lowest value for all the variables. New correlations were developed to predict the final fluidization velocity. The mean of diverging from the measured values when using the new correlation was 6.6%, while the literature equation was 9.6% at room temperature. The final fluidization velocity was calculated using the density and viscosity of the air at 500 °C. The behavior of the operational variables was similar to the room temperature, despite the lower predicted final fluidization velocities. Therefore, it was attested to the efficiency of the new correlation in predicting the final fluidization velocity of ternary mixtures characteristic of the bio-oil production process.