Accurate determination of minimum fluidization velocity of medium particle is essential for proper designing and operation of an Air Dense Medium Fluidized Bed Separator for coal beneficiation. Significantly different values of minimum fluidization velocity have been obtained from different available correlations. So, it is necessary to develop a suitable correlation for this specific purpose. In this study, the minimum fluidization velocities of different size magnetite powders are investigated in a 15 cm diameter fluidized bed. Three correlations are derived from the fundamental principles for the theoretical prediction of these minimum fluidization velocities. The adequacy and reliability of each of these correlations is tested by adopting a statistical analysis approach and the most suitable correlation is selected. The predictive capability of this selected correlation is verified by using the data available in the literature. The results show that this new correlation is in very well agreement with these experimental data and shown to be applicable for practical purpose. Moreover, this study reveals that the correlation developed from the basic particle properties and bed characteristics can predict more accurate results.
In gravity separation operation, the probability of a coal particle to appear in the product stream or in the refuse stream is a strong function of its size. Improper selection of feed size may lead to significant reduction in efficiency of the separation unit. Available literature conforms that the separation efficiency of an air dense medium fluidized bed separator, which is a gravity separation operation, decreases with feed coal size, but determination of appropriate feed size range, for efficient operation of this separator, still remains as a challenge. In this paper, the effect of feed size on the separation performance is investigated and an attempt has been made to quantify the optimum size range over which the separator can operate satisfactorily. The performance of the equipment is evaluated in two steps, namely, sharpness of separation affected by the washing unit and the efficiency of the washing operation. Predictive model equations are also proposed for describing the relation between sharpness of separation and feed size. Four Indian coal samples of different washability characteristics are considered for this investigation. Preliminary results show that the air dense medium fluidized bed separator performance is quite satisfactory for the feed coal within the 50À15 mm size range.
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