Pressure fluctuations in a gas-solid fluidized bed at temperatures up to 1650 °C

Fluidized beds operating at ultra-high temperatures have great application potential for synthesizing essential materials and chemicals, but they are relatively unexplored. This study, for the first time, investigates fluidization characteristics at temperatures up to 1650 °C by measurement and analysis of pressure fluctuations in a laboratory fluidized bed of 30 mm diameter with corundum particles of an average size of 900 μm. Standard statistical and spectral methods are used to analyze pressure fluctuation signals and characterize fluidization behavior based on the effect of temperature on pressure fluctuation parameters, including the probability density function, standard deviation, autocorrelation, power spectra density, amplitude, dominant frequency, and average cycle frequency. The results indicate that, for the coarse corundum particles used in this study, fluidization behavior inverts at a crucial temperature of approximately 1400 °C. Below this temperature, gas–solid flows in the bed are predominantly controlled by gas bubble movements. In this temperature range, periodicity and maximum amplitude decrease and dominant frequency increases with temperature. Above 1400 °C, interparticle forces, such as van der Waals and viscous forces, are significantly strengthened due to changes in the structural and physiochemical properties of solid materials. The greatly enhanced interparticle forces at ultra-high temperatures promote the dominance of microstructured flows over the overall pressure fluctuations, making interparticle forces the controlling factor influencing gas–solid flows in fluidized beds at ultra-high temperatures. These findings provide a better understanding of ultra-high temperature fluidized beds and can promote their research and development for industrial applications.