| Gas-liquid-solid systems have been widely used in physical, chemical, petrochemical and biochemical processes. The successful design of gas-liquid-solid fluidized bed systems depends on the ability to accurately predict the mixing of individual phases and mass transfer between phases. Most previous research has been conducted using small-scale laboratory apparatus with heavy solid particles (rhop ≥ 2.0). The objectives of this work are to study solid-liquid mass transfer and solid dynamics in three-phase fluidized beds with low density particles (rhop < 2.0). Since one of the more common techniques for measuring solid-liquid mass transfer involves particle tethering, the effect of tethering on solid particle movements as compared to fire particles was evaluated.;2-D (x-z) radioactive particle tracking (RPT) results were combined with visual observations to study the solids mixing and flow structure in a three-phase fluidized bed.;Solid-liquid mass transfer experiments were performed in two columns (diameters of 12.7 and 30.48 cm) using a tethered benzoic acid particle dissolution technique.;2-D RPT experiments were also conducted to examine the difference between free and tethered particle movements. (Abstract shortened by UMI.). |
