Similarities between gas-solid fluidization in the presence of interparticle forces at high temperature and induced by a polymer coating approach

•Gas-solid fluidization behavior in the presence of interparticle forces was studied.•The level of interparticle forces was adjusted by two different approaches.•The formation of eutectics on the surface of particles increased the level of interparticle forces at high temperature.•A polymer coating approach controlled the level of interparticle forces at near-ambient conditions.•Similar hydrodynamic characteristics are observed in both parts of the study.

This study focuses on the hydrodynamic similarities of gas-solid fluidized beds influenced by the presence of interparticle forces (IPFs) at high temperature and induced by a polymer coating approach at near-ambient conditions. The level of IPFs was controlled through the formation of eutectics on the surface of base particles at high temperature. It was adjusted by the temperature of the inlet gas when adopting particles, coated with a thin layer of polymer having a low glass transition temperature, in a gas-solid fluidized bed in the case of polymer coating approach. Similarities were present between the results of the two parts of the study, i.e., in both cases, the minimum fluidization velocity and the bubble size growth rate with the superficial gas velocity in the bubbling regime increased with IPFs while the frequency of macro-structures and the average in-bed differential pressure drop in the bubbling regime decreased with IPFs. The polymer coating approach is therefore capable of simulating most of the conditions of a high temperature fluidized bed operated under the influence of IPFs at near-ambient conditions.

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