Microstructure of the solid phase in fluidized beds for non-Stokes regimes

Experiments on two-dimensional fluidized beds of glass beads are presented for two fluids of typical Reynolds numbers of about 1 and a few hundred. The presence of inertial effects leads to the formation of wakes behind the particles and consequently to an anisotropy of the microstructure. The microstructures, studied by video imaging, are characterized by pair probability distribution functions and structure factors.