The modeling of the minimum fluidization velocity (U0mf) and the incipient fluidization pressure drop (ΔPmf) is a valuable research topic in the fluidization field. In this paper, first, a series of experiments are carried out by changing the particle size and material mass to explore their effects on U0mf and ΔPmf. Then, an Ergun equation modifying method and the dimensional analysis method are used to obtain the modeling correlations of U0mf and ΔPmf by fitting the experimental data, and the advantages and disadvantages of the two methods are discussed. The experimental results show that U0mf increases significantly with increasing particle size but has little relationship with the material mass; ΔPmf increases significantly with increasing material mass but has little relationship with the particle size. Experiments with small particles show a significant increase at large superficial gas velocity; we propose a conjecture that the particles’ collision with the fluidization chamber’s top surface causes this phenomenon. The fitting accuracy of the modified Ergun equation is lower than that of the dimensionless model. When using the Ergun equation modifying method, it is deduced that the gas drag force is approximately 0.8995 times the material total weight at the incipient fluidized state.
Modified Ergun Equation for Airflow through Packed Bed of Loblolly Pine Grinds