A comparative study on the solids concentration distribution in a circulating fluidised bed using capactitance tomography and pressure measurements

An investigation into the solids concentration distribution in a fluidised bed was conducted. Measurements were taken using electrical capacitance tomographic and a pressure difference method. In the bubbling fluidization regime, the concentration measured using the pressure difference method showed reasonable agreement with the tomographic technique, with differences below about 8.5%. The discrepancy between the two methods increased as fluidisation became increasingly turbulent with a maximum corresponding to slugging fluidisation. The characteristics of the two measuring methods were discussed and reasons for these differences are suggested.