The serial model in liquid fluidization and its limitations

The serial model of Epstein et al. (1981) is demonstrated to predict successfully the overall voidage of the mixed layer of incompletely segregated binary and ternary mixtures of liquid-fluidized solids that differ only in shape. Some speculations are then offered on the conditions for the success and failure of this model. Finally, methods proposed in the literature for estimating the deviations from the serial model for a binary-solids bed, which manifest themselves as a bed contraction, are discussed, with emphasis on packing models.