Effects of magnetic field on fluidization properties of magnetic pearls

An experimental study of the influence of external magnetic field on the fluidization behavior of magnetic pearls was carried out. Magnetic pearls are a magnetic form of iron oxide that mainly consists of Fe2O3 which are recovered from a high-volume power plant fly ash from pulverized coal combustion. Due to its abundance, low price and particular physical and chemical properties, magnetic pearls can be used as a heavy medium for minerals or solid waste dry separation based on density difference. This paper introduces the properties of magnetic pearls and compares the performance of magnetic pearls fluidised bed operation with or without an external magnetic field. Experimental results show that an external magnetic field significantly improves the fluidization performance of magnetic pearls such as uniformity and stability.