Tutorial

Momentum Transfer Flow through Packed Beds

Date: 7 November 2013
1. Water ows through 3.6 kg of glass particles of density 2590 kg/m 3
forming a packed bed of depth 0.475 m and diameter 0.0757 m. The
variation in frictional pressure drop across the bed with water ow rate
in the range 200 1200 cm3/min is shown Table 1
Table 1
Water ow rate
(cm3/min)
200
400
500
700
1000
1200

Pressure drop
(mmHg)
5.5
12.0
14.5
20.5
29.5
36.5

(a)Demonstrate that the ow is laminar.

(b) Estimate the mean surface-volume diameter of the particles.
(c) Calculate the relevant Reynolds number.
2. A partial oxidation is carried out by passing air with 1 mole percent
(mol%) hydrocarbon through 40mm tubes packed with 2m of 3mm by
3mm cylindrical catalyst pellets. The air enters at 350 OC and 2.0atm
with a superficial velocity of 1m/s. What is the pressure drop be
reduced by using 4mm pellets? Assume =0.40.
3. The following data are reported for the ow of air through the beds
of granular activated carbon. Compare the pressure drops with values
predicted using the Ergun equation, and predict the pressure drops for
both sizes at air velocities of 100 and 200 ft/min (0.508 and1.016 m/s)
V 0 V0
,ft/min

4x6
Mesh,
p,in.H2O/
ft

4x8
Mesh,
p,in.H2O/
ft

10
20
V 0
m/s

0.25
1.4
V0, 4x6 Mesh,
p , Pa/m

0.0508
0.2032

204
1143.33

0.32
1.8
4x6 Mesh,
p, Pa/m
261.33
1470

4. The pressure drop through a particle bed can be used to determine

the external surface area and the average particle size. Data for a bed
of crushed ore particles show p/L =84(lb f /in.2)/ft (1900130.709Pa/m)
for air ow at superficial velocity of 0.015ft/s (4.572x10 -3m/s). The
measured void fraction is 0.47,and the estimated sphericity S is 0.7.
Calculate the average particle size and the surface area per unit mass
if the solid has density of 4.1g/cm3.How sensitive is the answer to an
error of 0.01in .