Flow of spheres and near-spheres in cylindrical vessels, Part III - transit spectra for recirculated random packings.

Abstract

The work presented is an experimental and statistical investigation of the transit number spectra (a particular transport characteristic) of identical pebbles in recirculated random packings in a cylindrical vessel with a base and a single central (axial) outlet. The packings form beds which flow downwards under the influence of gravity through an extractor in the vessel's base. The experimental variables studied are the base angle, the pebble seeding radius, the pebble size, shape and specific gravity, the packing height, the vessel base shape and the vertical position of the vessel's extractor. The purpose of the work was partly to study these variables for their effect on the amount of recirculation required for a particular pebble to emerge from the vessel and partly to obtain statistics on individual beds.