Effect of inter-particle cohesion on gas residence time distribution in fluidized beds with catalytic particles

Fluidized beds are commonly used as chemical reactors. The residence time distribution (RTD) of gas phase species in these devices is an important consideration as it affects conversion and product selectivity. In this study, we investigate the effects of inter-particle cohesion and absorption of the gas phase species into the solid on the gas RTD in a fluidized bed through Computational Fluid Dynamics-Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM) simulations. In these simulations, we track the evolution of the concentration of an absorbing tracer. The partitioning of tracer between the gas and the solid is accounted for with a linear isotherm. Simulation results reveal that the mean residence time of the gas is not altered by the cohesion level, but the variance and skewness of the RTD increase as cohesion level increases for moderately and highly absorbing particles.