Experimental Measurements and CFD Simulation of Hydrodynamics of a Spouted Bed

Flow behavior of an air-glass bead spouted bed (20 cm diameter, 1.31 m high) was investigated using wall pressure fluctuation measurements and X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) scanning. Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation under the same operating conditions as in the experiments was made using Fluent 6.2.16. The simulated spouting process is much more unstable than the stable spouting found in experimental measurements. Spout shape was visualized from CT images and simulated contours of solids volume fraction. Statistical and spectral analyses were applied to pressure fluctuation series measured along the column wall. Gas velocity greatly affects hydrodynamics of the spout bed.