skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: The effect of cohesive forces on the fluidization of aeratable powders

Journal Article · · AIChE Journal
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.14307· OSTI ID:1121852

The effects of cohesive forces of van der Waals type in the fluidization/defluidization of aeratable type A powders in the Geldart classification are numerically investigated. The effects of friction and particle-size distribution (PSD) on some design-significant parameters, such as minimum fluidization and bubbling velocities, are also investigated. For these types of particles, cohesive forces are observed as necessary to fully exhibit the role friction plays in commonly observed phenomena, such as pressure overshoot and hysteresis around minimum fluidization. This study also shows that a full-experimental PSD consisting of a dozen particle sizes may be sufficiently represented by a few particle diameters. Reducing the number of particle types may benefit the continuum approach, which is based on the kinetic theory of granular flow, by reducing computational expense, while still maintaining the accuracy of the predictions.

Research Organization:
National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, and Morgantown, WV (United States). In-house Research; National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
OSTI ID:
1121852
Report Number(s):
NETL-PUB-479
Journal Information:
AIChE Journal, Vol. 60, Issue 2; ISSN 0001-1541
Publisher:
Wiley Online Library
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English