In a uidized bed, particle agglomeration and channeling have been observed when the uidizing gas is switched from lower to higher density. This de uidization is a transient phenomenon, and uidization is restored after several minutes. In this paper, we assume this behavior can be explained by non-equimolar di usion, which causes pressure gradients in the bed and subsequently leads to viscous ow. To verify this assumption, pressure changes were measured for several binary di usion systems in a packed bed. After the packed bed was lled with a gas, another gas was supplied to the bed's outer surface to replace the rst gas. These gases were exchanged by di usion, and the pressure at the closed end of the column either increased or decreased due to di erences in the gases' molecular weights. The pressure changes were compared with pressure changes calculated from a model based on both an unsteady-state di usion equation and the Kozeny-Carman equation. The measured pressure changes in the packed beds could be correlated with the calculated values without any adjustable parameters. In a uidized bed, after the gas switched from lower to higher density, di erences in di usion rates due to the gases' various molecular weights caused a net molecular ow from the emulsion phase to the bubble phase. This ow caused a decrease in gas velocity in the emulsion phase and a contraction of the emulsion phase; channeling and de uidization were then observed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.