Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics in Liquid-Solid Swirl Fluidized Bed Using Centrifugal Force

A liquid-solid swirl fluidized bed (SFB) using centrifugal force is proposed for the application of a seeding method and the enhancement of heat transfer in processes utilizing geothermal energy, and the corresponding flow and heat transfer characteristics are experimentally examined. In the lower part of the SFB, many particles are carried by swirl flow. When liquid velocity is constant, fluidized bed height is lower in SFB than in the conventional fluidized bed (FB). The fluidized bed height in SFB depends on the initial bed height. The heat transfer coefficient is higher in SFB than in FB, and increases with increasing initial bed height.