What is the difference between fluidized bed tube furnace and ordinary tube furnace?

There are significant differences between fluidized bed tube furnaces and ordinary tube furnaces in various aspects, mainly reflected in heating methods, working principles, sample holding methods, application fields, and characteristics.
1. Heating method and working principle
Ordinary tube furnace: The heating tube usually generates heat through heating elements (such as resistance wires, silicon carbon rods, silicon molybdenum rods, etc.) to heat the air inside the furnace. After being heated by the heating element, the air in the furnace transfers heat to the sample through convective heat transfer. This heating method makes ordinary tube furnaces suitable for processes that require uniform heating, such as sintering, annealing, heat treatment, etc.
Fluidized bed tube furnace: It uses convection heating to transfer heat to solid particles through the flow of heat carriers (such as gas or fluid) in the bed. In a fluidized bed, gas enters the bed from the gas inlet and is evenly distributed at the bottom of the bed under the action of the gas distribution plate. When gas flows through the bottom of the bed, the solid particles in the bed are driven by the airflow, forming a “fluidized” state. In this state, solid particles can flow freely and maintain uniformity inside the bed, thereby achieving efficient heat transfer and reaction.
2. Sample storage method
Ordinary tube furnace: Samples are usually placed in the furnace and can be heated continuously or in batches as needed.
Fluidized bed tube furnace: It is more suitable for batch processing of samples, where the samples are placed in containers in a fluidized bed and heated, dried, cooled, reacted, and processed with the flow of air.
3. Application Fields
Ordinary tube furnace: Due to its uniform heating characteristics, it is more suitable for high-temperature treatment, heat treatment, or laboratory scale sample heating of solid samples.
Fluidized bed tube furnace is more suitable for the processing and large-scale production of granular materials, such as powder sintering, particle drying, etc. Due to the uniformity and efficient heat transfer characteristics inside the fluidized bed, it is particularly suitable for processes that require rapid heat transfer and reaction speed.
4. Characteristics
Ordinary tube furnace: It has the advantages of fast heating speed, high temperature control accuracy, and easy operation.
Fluidized bed tube furnace: In addition to the characteristics of uniform heating and high heat transfer efficiency, it also has the advantages of fast reaction speed and flexible operation. By controlling parameters such as gas flow rate, temperature, and pressure, precise control and regulation of fluidized bed operation can be achieved.
In summary, there are significant differences between fluidized bed tube furnaces and conventional tube furnaces in terms of heating methods, working principles, sample holding methods, application areas, and characteristics. These differences make them suitable for different process requirements and application scenarios. When choosing, it is necessary to consider comprehensively based on specific experimental or production needs.