The Travelling Fluidized Bed Project: Working Together

John Chen had a strong attachment to “challenge problems” to evaluate the ability of models and CFD codes to accurately predict complex fluidization phenomena.  He was instrumental in introducing challenge exercises at several fluidization conferences.  He was also committed to the Fluidization community working together.  In this spirit, the Travelling Fluidized Bed project was conceived as a means of comparing different advanced experimental techniques in measuring key hydrodynamic properties by setting up a transportable gas-solid fluidization unit at the laboratories of normally competing organizations to take measurement that should yield similar or complementary results, under identical operating conditions.  At the same time, the experimental results would build a unique database, in which several different properties (e.g. distributions of voidage, particle velocity, solids flux) are measured by different invasive and non-invasive techniques with group A and B particles, providing an indication of experimental error.  This presentation will report on progress after operation of the unit in 7 locations in three countries and on some of the lessons learned from this unique exercise in having different members of the community work together.