On-line monitoring of flow process in a spout-fluid bed by combining electrical tomography and high-speed CCD camera

To investigate spouted flow characteristics in a rectangular spout-fluid bed with bafflers, a non-intrusive measurement approach, which combines electrical capacitance tomography (ECT), pressure measurements and high-speed CCD imaging technology, is proposed. The ECT sensor has 12 electrodes on the external wall and 12 electrodes inside, forming three imaging regions with 8 electrodes in each region. The flow hydrodynamic characteristics in the spouted bed e.g., pressure fluctuation, particle packing fraction and fountain form, are investigated. The frequency domain of pressure and particle packing fraction signals as well as ECT images indicate that the flow regime in the jet region transits from slugging to spouting in fountain formation process, and when the fluidization velocity in one side increases, the flow regime in the same region transits into slugging bed. The spouting pressure drop is affected by the fluidization condition in the side region, and the high characteristic frequency of pressure signal decreases when the side region condition changes from blockage to fluidization. The fountain height increases linearly with the superficial gas velocity. When the gas velocity is high, the fountain tends to be offset by the influence of the lateral airflow which is caused by the imbalance of the air pressure on two side regions.