INVESTIGATION OF PACKED BED CHARACTERISTICS USING SPHERICAL PARTICLES

Several semi-empirical modified equations for the pore size and porosity had been suggested depending on the parameters affecting them for sphere particles of mono, binary and ternary packing systems. The parameters affecting the pore size were found to be the particle diameter, the porosity of the bed and the permeability to fluid flow. The parameters affecting the porosity in the packed bed of sphere packing are the particle and bed diameters. Several types of packing materials with different sizes have been used in the packed bed, and each had been studied separately. The velocity used in this work was (0.006-0.03)m/s , the bed diameter was (0.07620.1524)m , the particle diameter (0.003-0.01)m , length (0.15-0.65)m and the porosity (0.3-0.5)m.The results of the porosity modified equations have been compared with Furnas equation of porosity and with results taken from documented literature data; the comparisons show a very good agreement between the porosity modified equations and results.The calculation results of the modified Lattif for the pore size of ternary systems have been compared with Millington and Quirk equation and with results taken from documented literature data; the comparisons show that both equations are comparable with data results, therefore both equations could be used for ternary systems. Semi-Empirical equations for pressure drop of water flow through packed bed were developed by modifying Forchheimer's equation to include the effect of pore size and porosity equations which were suggested in the present work, for a certain shape of packing and for any shape.