Developing Accurate Methods to Measure Pressure Fluctuations in Fluidized Beds

In gas-solid fluidized beds, pressure measurements provide essential information on bed hydrodynamics and any issues in signal detection. Because solids tend to pass through the line that connects a pressure tap[1]to a pressure transducer, a backflushing system helps to prevent the plugging of this line. This study focuses on designing the backflushed system to minimize any degradation in the pressure signal between the fluidized bed and the pressure transducer. To test, a vessel was pressurized to compare the responses of a backflushed system and a reference transducer to a sudden change in pressure. The results showed that the backflushing gas flowrate does not affect the responses of the pressure transducers, while some of the lengths used within the backflushing system are directly proportional to the frequency response, distortion, and lag time of the responses. [1] A pressure tap is the point where you install a connection to a pressure transducer