Positron Emission Tomography Applied to Fluidization Engineering

C Dechsiri1,2, F Van de Wiel 2, H G Dehling3, A M J Paans4 and A C Hoffmann5

1Dept. of mathematics, Groningen, 9747 AC, The Netherlands, Dechsiri@chem.rug.nl

2Stratingh Institute, Groningen, 9747 AG, The Netherlands

3 Fakultät für Mathematik, Bochum, 44780, Germany, herold.dehling@ruhr-uni-bochum.de

4PET Center, Groningen University Hospital, Groningen, 9700 RB, The Netherlands, A.M.J.Paans@pet.azg.nl

5Dept. of Physics, Bergen, 5007, Norway, alex.hoffmann@fi.uib.no

ABSTRACT

The movement of particles in fluidization processes in a model test reactor has been studied using an imaging technique from medical healthcare: Positron Emission Tomography (PET). With this non- invasive technique, tracer particles were followed on their way through the fluidized bed. Experiments were performed with pulses of tracer particles in different alignments. The results give a good impression of both axial and radial distribution of particles in fluidized bed. In this paper, the experimental results confirm the basic assumptions of the model. Our stochastic model captures the dynamic movement of particles qualitatively, but indications are that the system exhibits ‘gulf- streaming’, a feature which is not accounted for in the model, but is common in fluidized beds in practice.

Keywords Fluidization; Fluidized bed; Stochastic model; Positron Emission Tomography.