Intensification of mass transfer in liquid fluidized beds with inert particles

The influence of inert particles on liquid/solid mass transfer is studied in fluidized beds by using a binary-mixture of solids of differing size and density. The addition of inert particles of higher density and smaller diameter, e.g. glass beads, exerts remarkable effects on mass transfer coefficients in comparison to that of mono-component active particles at the same liquid velocity. The extent of the effect on liquid–solid mass transfer coefficients increases with an increasing fraction of the small inert particles in the mixture. The liquid–solid mass transfer coefficients for binary-mixtures are well correlated in terms of dimensionless groups and the voidage parameter. © 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.