| Abstract: | Convective motions of the phases in a homogeneous fluidized bed are considered. The motions of the phases are described by a simple model of two ideal interpenetrating interacting fluids. The model admits an increasing concentration of the solid particles with the height, which leads to circulatory flows. Approximate equations of motion of the liquid and the solid particles are obtained, and these are analogous to the Boussinesq approximation in the case of natural convection in a pure liquid. The equations contain a parameter which is analogous to the Rayleigh number and characterizes the stability of the layer. An approximate analytic solution to the corresponding eigenvalue problem is found. The spectrum of Rayleigh numbers and the sizes of the convective cells are determined. The obtained results provide an explanation for the existence of the multicenter circulatory motions of the phases frequently observed in a fluidized beds and make it possible to determine the sizes of the circulatory regions. Information about the Rayleigh number spectrum and the sizes of the regions is needed to solve the problem of the scale transition and also to enable the choice of measures to suppress or intensify the displacement processes.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 39–46, July–August, 1982. |
