The flow of granular materials in moving beds

Abstract A series of studies was made to provide practical information necessary to design moving bed equipment. Experiments consist of observations on the flow pattern and measurement of the stress in the bed. The results indicate the following facts: (1) Granular materials flowing in the centre part of a straight column flow down as if stuck together and they do not break unless the pressure exceeds their static load-carrying capacity. (2) The boundary zone at the wall extends for 4–8 times the particle size, and abrasion of material occurs in this zone. (3) The height above the bottom where the uniform flow patterns begin to break down due to the orifice is correlated for two-dimensional flow. The height is very small when the material is choke-fed into a rotating table.