Fluidization
P K Chaudhari,
Chemical Engineering Department
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What is Fluidization?
The operation by which fine solids are
transformed into a fluidlike state through
contact with a gas or liquid.
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Fluidized Bed
Fixed Bed
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Contacting Methods
Cocurrent, backmix, crossflow, countercurrent
Solids may often be represented by backmix flow
By using proper baffling and staging of units, and
with negligible entrainment of solids, the contacting
in fluidized beds can be made to approach closely
the usually desirable extreme of countercurrent plug
flow
For good design, proper contacting of phases is
essential
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Elements of Fluidized Bed Reactors
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Some Key Terminology
Attrition: breakdown of particles
Choking: collapse of a dilute-phase suspension
into a dense-phase flow as the gas velocity is
reduced at constant solids flow
Circulating fluidized bed: configuration
intended to send particles around in a loop
continuously, with no upper interface within the
bed
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Some Key Terminology
Downer: column where particles are made to
fall through under gravity, usually with cocurrent
gas flow
Distributor or Grid: support plate at bottom
which introduce the gas to the bottom of the
bed and supports the weight of the bed when it
is shut down
Elutriation: tendency for fine particles to be
preferentially entrained from the reactor
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Some Key Terminology
Fast fluidization: flow regime whereby there is
a relatively dense suspension, but no distinct
upper surface, and a superficial velocity generally
at least 3 m/s
Fines: generally particles smaller than 37 µm in
diameter (smallest regular sieve size)
Freeboard: region extending from top of bed
surface to top of reactor vessel
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Some Key Terminology
Interstitial gas: gas between the particles in
dense suspension
Porosity: fraction of gas in bed/given region as
a whole or only inside the particles; sometimes
used interchangeably with voidage
Riser: column where particles are carried
upwards by the gas, with no distinct bed surface
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Some Key Terminology
Segregation: tendency for particles to gather in
different zones according to their size and/or
density
Solids: used synonymously with particles
Superficial velocity: gas flow rate divided by
total column surface area
Voidage (or void fraction): fraction by volume
of suspension or bed which is occupied by the
fluid
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Advantages of Fluidized Beds
The smooth, liquid-like flow of particles allows
continuous automatically controlled operations with
ease of handling.
The rapid mixing of solids leads to nearly isothermal
conditions throughout the reactor, hence the operation
can be controlled simply and reliably.
It is suited to large-scale operations.
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Advantages of Fluidized Beds
The circulation of solids between two fluidized beds
makes it possible to transport the vast quantities of heat
produced or needed in large reactors.
Heat and mass transfer rates between gas and particles
are high when compared with other modes of
contacting.
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Disadvantages of Fluidized Beds
The difficult-to-describe flow of gas, with its large
deviation from plug flow and the bypassing of solids by
bubbles, represents an inefficient contacting system.
The rapid mixing of solids in the bed leads to
nonuniform residence times of solids in the reactor.
Friable solids are pulverized and entrained by the gas.
Erosion of pipes and vessels from abrasion by particles.
For noncatalytic operations at high temperature the
agglomeration and sintering of fine particles can
necessitate a lowering in temperature of operation,
reducing the reaction rate.
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Commercial Applications
Solid-Catalysed Gas-Phase Reactions:
Phthalic and maleic anhydride (Sherwin, 1945)
Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (Kellog, SASOL, 1955)
Acrylonitrile and aniline (Sohio, 1960)
Chlirination and bromination of hydrocarbons (Asahi,1965)
Polyethylene (Union Carbide 1977)and
polypropylene (Mitsubishi,1984)
Oxidation of SO2 to SO3
Fluid catalytic cracking (Exon 1942), reforming
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Commercial Applications
Gas-Solid Reactions:
Roasting or ores (ZnS, Cu2S, nickel sulphides, etc.)
Combustion and incineration
Gasification, coking and pyrolysis/carbonization
Calcination (limestone, phosphates, aluminium
hydroxide)
Flurination of uranium oxide
Fluid coking
Reduction of iron oxide
Catalyst regeneration
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Commercial Applications
Gas-Phase Non-Catalytic Reactions:
Natural gas combustion
Gas-Liquid-Solid:
Hydrotreating, hydroprocessing
Biochemical processes
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Commercial Applications
Physical Processes:
Drying of particles
Coating of surfaces
Granulation (growing particles)
Heat treatment (e.g. annealing, quenching)
Biofludisation
Roasting of sulfide ores
Back-purging of filters
Blending
Classification
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Flow Regimes for Upward Flow of Gas
through Solid Particulate Materials
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Various Kinds of Contacting of a
Batch of Solids by Fluid
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Classification of Fluidized Beds
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Classification of Dense-Phase
Fludized Beds
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Industrial Applications
of Fluidized Beds
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Winkler Gas Generator
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Large Scale Fluid Bed Catalytic
Cracking Pilot Plant
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Two-Stage Fluidized Salt Dryer
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Qualitative Fluidization Map for
Fine Solids
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Solids Mixing by a Single Rising
Bubble in a Bed of Small Particles
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Tuyere with inflow orifice
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