Abstract
Different parameters affecting the pressure drop of fluid flow through packed bed have been studied. These parameters are fluid velocity, bed porosity, bed diameter, sphericity, particle diameter, packing height and wall effect.
A semi-empirical equation for water flow through packed bed has been proposed, which can be used for several types and kinds of packing materials with different sizes, depending on Buckingham π theorem.
The results of calculations for the proposed equation have been compared with many documented experimental literatures. This comparison gave a very good agreement, and has been represented and curves. The results from Ergun equation using similar conditions have been represented in the curves for the sake of comparison. Ergun equation results were far away from the experimental data and the semi-empirical equations results. The main reason of this deviation was that Ergun's equation neglect wall effect on fluid flow, differences in bed dimensions, packing shapes and sizes.
The working range of the proposed equation is within the fixed region of the fluid flow diagram, i.e., the estimated equation can be used for fluid flow up to the fluidization point. A semi-empirical equation based on Leva equation had been modeled to evaluate the minimum fluidization velocity.
