Dehydration of sodium carbonate decahydrate to monohydrate in a fluidized bed

Abstract

Abstract Kinetics of the thermal dehydration of sodium carbonate decahydrate to monohydrate is investigated at temperatures between 15 and 30°C in a batch, fluidized‐bed, 140‐mm‐ID reactor. Effects of particle size, mass of bed, and gas velocity on the dehydration rate are also explored. A simple correlation based on the collected experimental data is developed. The proposed rate law formula makes it possible to estimate the dehydration rate that would be needed to design the performance of a fluidized‐bed drying unit. The produced monohydrate is subjected to textural analysis, and pore volume and surface‐area data are presented.