Destabilization of fluidized beds due to agglomeration part I: Theoretical model

Abstract

Abstract This is the first part of a series of two papers to study the agglomeration phenomenon which causes destabilization of certain low and high temperature fluidized beds. A theoretical model is proposed to determine the conditions under which defluidization occurs in fluidized beds in which cohesion forces between granules arise due to the presence of sticky fluids and/or high temperatures. Such bonding mechanisms between particles as solid—liquid bridges, visco‐elastic flattening and high temperature sintering are considered. The theoretical model predicts breakup of aggregates in the bed due to forces generated by bubble motion. The theoretical results are compared with experimental measurements in Part II of the paper.