The Effect of Particle Size on the Efficiency of a Fluidized Bed
From carbon nanotube synthesis to impressive thermite reactions, the process of fluidization is used in countless manufacturing operations. In industries like ore refinery there are many opportunities for fluidizing various particle sizes. The ability to fluidize even a slightly larger particle size would cut down costs for countless companies which must grind materials into super fine powders for refining.
Fluidization occurs when a fluid medium flows through a bed of solid particles and suspends them in a homogenous gas/solid solution, thus causing the particles to behave like a liquid. This experiment was conducted to find out if varying particle sizes could be effectively fluidized within a gaseous medium. To test this, three particle sizes: fine sand, river sand, and glass beads, were fluidized with 80 PSI of air. Data was also recorded with the fluidized bed turned off so that there was a control to compare to. A golf ball attached to a force sensor was pulled through the bed at a constant speed to find the force exerted by the fluidized particles.
A descriptive analysis was used to determine the difference between the trials with the fluidized bed turned on and off. Afterwards, a two-sample t-test was conducted to determine which of the three solids exerted the least resistance force. The findings indicated the fine sand trials exerted the lowest average force in Newtons with the bed on and with the bed off, while the glass beads exerted the highest average force. Although the fine sand exerted the lowest force, the larger particle sizes still effectively fluidized.
Research Conducted By:
Jacob Andrzejewski
Cousino High School
Krystal Quinn
Cousino High School
Warren Consolidated Schools