Adequação da prática de laboratório de engenharia química de leito fluidizado

Abstract

Fluidization can be understood as the circulation of solids together with a fluid, which provides its main property: intense mixing between the phases. Understanding this unitary operation is crucial for the training of chemical engineers, as it is increasingly present in the industrial world and for that, the study of its theory and practice are part of the mandatory curriculum of chemical engineering. The implementation of laboratory practice at universities gives the student an important view of the process, which in turn is part of the engineer’s responsibilities. The experimental fluidized bed unit of the Chemical Engineering Laboratory 1 presented recurrent problems such as: the abrasion resulting from the interaction of solid materials with the bed and the dragging of particles, which happened when the speed was higher than the minimum fluidization speed. Therefore, the objective of this work was to identify the limitations of the experimental apparatus, recover the practice and configure an adjustable script model. Initially, it was necessary to review the fluidization theory, granulometric analysis, Sauter diameter and Geldart classification for the choice of particulate material and the characteristic dimensions that the bed should present. Next, four adaptations were made to the bed and tests, until its final layout was defined. The bed was completely rebuilt, with the replacement of particulate material and working fluid allowing the complete recovery of laboratory practice. It was found that the bed fits perfectly into the fluidization theory and a new script model for the practical class was proposed.