The research will explore, and model impeller fluidization phenomena. A simple means of producing locally confined fluidized beds of fine particles has been observed in the laboratories of the principal investigators. The particles are held dynamically within a cylindrical vessel by the interaction of centrifugal force and connection, both produced by impeller-driven swirling flow. The fluidized bed is maintained in a subregion adjacent to clear fluid without mechanical barriers such as screens. Centrifugal force, due to swirling flow, moves particles radially outward, and secondary flow sweeps them along the wall from the impeller into a rotating, toroidal bed. Clear fluid passes through the fluidized zone. Upon leaving the fluidized zone, the fluid is stripped of particles by centrifugal force. At high impeller rotation rates, the fluidized bed becomes small and sharply defined. Qualitative and quantitative information obtained will determine whether impeller fluidizers have potential for industrial use.
