What materials can be fluidized in a vertical fluidized bed?

Vertical fluidized bed suspends particulate materials in a fluidized state through gas or liquid, and is suitable for fluidized treatment of various solid materials. Its applicability mainly depends on the particle size distribution, density, shape, thermal stability, and process requirements of the material.

1. Typical material types that can be fluidized
a. Powder/granular materials
Metal powder
Example: Iron powder, nickel powder, titanium powder, tungsten powder, alloy powder (such as stainless steel 316L).
Applications: Powder metallurgy, 3D printing pre alloying, metal oxide reduction (such as hydrogen reduction of Fe ₂ O ∝).
Requirement: Particle size of 10-200 μ m, sphericity>0.8 (to avoid channeling or agglomeration).
ceramic powder
Examples: Aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ∝), zirconium oxide (ZrO ₂), silicon carbide (SiC), silicon nitride (Si ∝ N ₄).
Application: Ceramic sintering, coating preparation (such as plasma spraying precursor), catalyst carrier modification.
Requirement: When the Mohs hardness is ≥ 7, a silicon carbide furnace tube is required to avoid high-temperature wear.
Catalyst carrier
Example: γ – Al ₂ O3, molecular sieves (ZSM-5, MCM-41), activated carbon.
Application: Preparation of supported catalysts (such as impregnation method for loading precious metals), surface modification (such as introducing acidic sites).
Requirement: When the specific surface area is greater than 100m ²/g, the flow rate should be controlled to prevent particle entrainment.
Minerals/ores
Example: Quartz sand, kaolin, ilmenite, rare earth oxides (such as CeO ₂).
Application: Mineral purification (such as desulfurization before magnetic separation), calcination to remove volatile matter (such as calcination of kaolin to produce metakaolin).
Requirement: Sulfur/chloride minerals must be corrosion-resistant in the furnace (such as Hastelloy lining).
Biomass/Carbon Materials
Example: Charcoal powder, coconut shell activated carbon, graphene precursor (such as oxidized graphite), biochar.
Application: Activation of carbon materials (such as preparation of porous carbon under CO ₂ atmosphere), biomass pyrolysis (such as preparation of bio oil from corn stover).
Requirement: Explosion proof design is required when the volatile matter exceeds 50% (such as hydrogen concentration<1% LEL).

b. Fiber/sheet materials
fiber material
Example: Carbon fiber, glass fiber, ceramic fiber (such as alumina fiber).
Application: Fiber surface coating (such as SiC coating for oxidation prevention), preparation of fiber-reinforced composite materials.
Requirement: When the aspect ratio is greater than 100, the flow rate should be reduced to avoid fiber entanglement.
sheet
Example: Graphite flakes, mica flakes, two-dimensional materials (such as MoS ₂ h-BN）。
Application: Layered material peeling (such as mechanical peeling method), layer surface modification (such as introducing functional groups).
Requirement: When the thickness is less than 10 μ m, anti-static design (surface resistance<10 ⁹ Ω) is required. 2. Typical application scenarios of material fluidization a. Material preparation and modification Ceramic sintering Materials: alumina, silicon carbide, silicon nitride. Process: Fluidized sintering at 1500-1700 ℃, controlling oxygen partial pressure ≤ 10 ⁻¹⁵ Pa, to prepare high-density ceramics. Metal powder reduction Materials: Fe ₂ O ∝, NiO, WO ∝. Process: Fluidized reduction at 600-900 ℃ under hydrogen atmosphere, with a reduction rate>99%, to prepare ultrafine metal powder.
Catalyst Preparation
Material: γ – Al ₂ O3, ZSM-5 molecular sieve.
Process: After loading Pt/Pd by impregnation method, fluidized bed calcination at 400 ℃ increases the dispersion of active components by 30%.

2. In the field of energy and environment
a.biomass pyrolysis
Materials: corn stover, sawdust, sludge.
Process: Fluid pyrolysis at 500~700 ℃, bio oil yield>40%, gas calorific value>15MJ/m ³.
Carbon Capture and Utilization
Materials: Calcium based adsorbent (CaO), lithium based adsorbent (Li ₄ SiO ₄).
Process: Fluidized adsorption of CO ₂ at 650 ℃, with an adsorption capacity of 0.5~0.8g CO ₂/g adsorbent.

b. Advanced functional materials
Lithium Ion Battery Materials
Materials: LiFePO ₄, NCM ternary materials.
Process: Fluidized calcination at 700-900 ℃, controlling the oxygen partial pressure of the atmosphere, to prepare single crystal positive electrode materials.
semiconductor material
Materials: SiC micro powder, GaN nanowires.
Process: 1200 ℃ fluidized chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to prepare high-purity epitaxial layers.

3. Limitations and Solutions of Material Fluidization
a. Common problems
Particle aggregation
Reason: electrostatic effect, van der Waals force, surface liquid film.
Solution: Add anti-static agents (such as nano SiO ₂), pre drying treatment (120 ℃/4h), and ultrasonic dispersion.
Gully flow and dead zone
Reason: Blockage of gas distribution plate and wide particle size distribution.
Solution: Use porous ceramic plates (pore size 10-50 μ m), sieve particles, and add stirring blades.
Equipment wear and tear
Reason: Friction between hard particles (such as SiC) and furnace tubes.
Solution: Adopt silicon carbide furnace tube (hardness 9.5 Mohs) and surface coating (such as SiC coating).
High temperature bonding
Reason: Low melting point impurities (such as Na ₂ O) cause particle sintering.
Solution: Use high-purity raw materials (Na ₂ O<0.1%) and add anti sticking agents (such as MgO).

b. Special Needs Solutions
Flammable and explosive materials
Measures: Replace nitrogen with oxygen content<0.1%, install hydrogen concentration alarm and explosion-proof motor (Ex d IIB T4). Toxic gas release Measures: The exhaust gas is subjected to catalytic oxidation (such as Pt/Al ₂ O3 catalyst, with a CO conversion rate of>99% at 250 ℃) and alkaline absorption (such as NaOH absorbing HCl).
Ultra high temperature demand
Measures: Use graphite heating element (temperature resistance of 1800 ℃), tungsten rhenium thermocouple (temperature measurement of 2300 ℃), and water-cooled electrode.

4. Summary
Applicability: Vertical fluidized bed is suitable for powders, particles, fibers, sheet materials, covering fields such as metals, ceramics, catalysts, biomass, etc.
Key parameters: need to match particle size (10-500 μ m), density (0.2-3.0g/cm ³), sphericity (≥ 0.6), and process conditions (temperature, atmosphere, flow rate).
Solution: For problems such as agglomeration, wear, and adhesion, pre-treatment, equipment optimization, additives, and other methods can be used to solve them.
By selecting materials and process parameters reasonably, vertical fluidized beds can achieve efficient heat transfer, uniform reaction, and continuous production, becoming an important equipment in the field of materials science and engineering.