Effects of sintered metal distributor on fluidization quality of the air dense medium fluidized bed

Dry coal beneficiation using an air dense medium fluidized bed (ADMFB) requires the formation of a stable and uniform bed from the dense medium. Others have shown that the structure and geometric parameters of the air distributor have a significant influence on the experimentally observed fluidization quality. In this study we used a sintered metal distributor (SMD) in the ADMFB separator and study its effect on the fluidization quality. The results show that for the same open area ratio (OAR), a smaller aperture in the SMD will provide improved fluidization quality. If aperture size is held constant bigger open area ratios result in improved fluidization quality. And, the fluidization quality also improves when the pressure drop across the SMD increases. A model relating distributor pressure drop and the geometric parameters of the SMD is also proposed.