Numerical prediction of particle mixing behavior in a bubbling fluidized bed

In this article the hard-sphere discrete particle model (DPM) is used to study the mixing behavior of particles in the 2-D fluidized bed. Different flow patterns in the bed for two kinds of inlet configurations, namely free bubbling and jet bubbling mode, are captured by the numerical model, under specific superficial gas velocities. To examine the degree of particle mixing, the Fan index is applied. The numerical results show that the rate of particle mixing is larger in the jet bubbling than that in the free bubbling mode. The gross circulations of particles in the jet bubbling bed give a higher degree of mixing because of the involvement of a greater number of particles.