PTV profiling of particles motion from the top and side of a swirling fluidized bed

A swirling fluidized bed (SFB) operation heavily depends on geometry of the solid particles and gas distributor. This study was aimed at investigating the hydrodynamics of the solid particles in a SFB, set into fluidization using an annular blade distributor. MATLAB supported particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) was engaged to generate the velocity vector profiles of the top surface and side of the swirling bed. The pressure drop curve suggested that the uniform bed swirling happens at the superficial air velocities between 2 m/s and 2.6 m/s. The average particle velocity, both at the top and side of the bed, exhibited a monotonically increasing trend over the superficial air velocity. However, an inverse relationship was predicted between particle velocity and the bed height. At lower superficial air velocities, a Gaussian distribution of the velocity vectors was predicted along the radius of the bed. Particles in the vicinity of the bed walls moved relatively slower than those marching in the middle of the bed. However, the average particle velocity was decreased with an increase in the blade fin angle and inclination angle. Overall, the particle velocity at the top surface of the bed remained slightly lower than along the side of the bed.