FLUIDIZACIÓN DE ARENA FINA HÚMEDAD EN UN SPOUTED BED CÓNICO

Abstract

Fluidization of wet solids has been studied in a conical spouted bed with open-sided draft- tube and confinement system, being the design parameters the optimal obtained in a previous hydrodynamic study. This research is framed in the joint project of Catalytic Process & Waste Valorization Research group, (University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU) and Novattia Desarrollos Ltd., technology development company, with the objective of designing a new dryer for fine and ultrafine sand based on spouted bed technology. Several tests have been carried out using two strategies to moisten the bed: (a) loading sand with homogeneous moisture, testing moisture values of 15, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1% d.b.), and (b) mixing tests, in which sand with a a moisture of 15% d.b. was added to a dry bed, achieving moisture values after mixing of 4.5, 3.9, 3.1, 2.1 and 1.2% b.s. The most important result of the study has been to determine that the maximum moisture for the bed to be fluidizable is 2% d.b.