Altzibar H., Tellabide M., Estiati I., Olazar M., 2017, Effect of a Device for Retaining Solids on the Fountain Height in the Nonporous Draft Tube Conical Spouted Bed, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 57, 847-852.
Fine particle entrainment is a serious problem when dealing with fluidized and spouted beds. In the latter, it is even enhanced by the need for using draft tubes when dealing with fine particles, and therefore entrainment avoidance is a key aspect for process viability. A new device for retaining solids has been developed and the influence of geometric factors on the fountain height has been studied in draft tube conical spouted beds with materials of different density. A nonporous draft tube has been used combined with a solid retaining device. This internal device is placed above the bed and traps the particles of the fountain, modifying fountain shape and height. Thus, runs have been carried out in conical spouted beds of different geometry to ascertain the effect of the device on the fountain height. These runs have been conducted using different contactor angles, gas inlet diameters, solid densities, device diameters and distances from the bed surface to the lower end of the device. It can be concluded that all the factors studied affect the fountain height, with the smaller effect being that of distance from the bed surface to the lower end of the device.
