THE INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON THE PROPERTIES OF THE PARTICULATE PHASE AT INCIPIENT FLUIDIZATION

An experimental study is reported which demonstrates that the influence of the operating temperature on bed voidage at incipient fluidization cannot be explained on a hydrodynamic basis, as currently accepted. Because the increase in bed porosity also occurs in the settled state, this is shown to be a consequence of the enhancement, at medium and high temperature, of the attractive forces acting in the particulate phase. The analogy with the fluidization behaviour of beds affected by other types of inter article forces is examined.