BUBBLE CHARACTERISTICS IN THREE PHASE FLUIDIZED BEDS OF FLOATING BUBBLE BREAKER

Abstract

The local bubble phase holdup and vertical bubble length in three-phase fluidized beds and the beds of a floating bubble breaker have been studied in a glass column. The bubble phase holdup increased with gas velocity, volume ratio of floating bubble breaker to solids and particle size along the bed height but decreased with liquid velocity. The vertical bubble length increased with gas velocity along the bed height but decreased with liquid velocity, particle size and the volume ratio of floating bubble breaker to solid particles. The local bubble phase holdup and the vertical bubble length have been correlated with experimental variables as well as the dimensionless groups of Froude and Weber numbers.