Void formation and breaking in a packed bed

An experimental study has been carried out to understand the void formation and breaking in a packed bed using two-dimensional glass models. No experimental data are available in the literature on void initiation and breaking which is essential to understand the aerodynamics of the packed bed reactors such as blast furnace, catalytic reformer and solid drying process. The effect of particle size, density, gas flow rate, bed height and model width on the formation of void and its breaking has been studied in detail. The effect of frictional properties of the particulate material on the void formation and breaking has also been studied using modified Janssen's equation. Pressure and velocity measurements have been taken using manometers and a hot wire anemometer to understand the void formation and breaking phenomena. Correlations have been proposed to predict the void formation and void breaking.