Interactions of spout jets in a multiple-spouted bed

A three‐dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, coupling with two‐fluid model (TFM) approach is adopted to investigate the interactions of spout jets and to evaluate the effects of baffles in a multiple‐spouted bed. For two typical flow patterns, that is single spouting and double‐spouting, characteristics of flow patterns, solid velocity and voidage are investigated with varying spouting gas flow rates. Influence of baffles set in the bottom of the bed is also studied in three typical flow patterns. Results show that for double‐spouting, the central spouting push off the lateral spouts, and the push force is increasingly obvious with increasing central spouting gas flow rate; for single spouting, when the lateral spouting gas flow rates increase, the central spout is destroyed and the gas‐solid flow becomes unstable. Baffles in different flow patterns (single spouting, double‐spouting and triple‐spouting) exert different effects on the solid movements.