A two resistance model is proposed for the heat transfer between a coaxially mounted heater and a three phase fluidized bed.
Effects of gas and liquid velocity and particle size on individual heat transfer resistances in the heater and in the fluidized bulk zones have been determined.
The optimum bed porosity at which the maximum heat transfer coefficient occurred coincided with the bed porosity at which the boundary layer thickness around the heater attained a minimum value. The fluidized bed resistance attained its minimum value when the maximum heat transfer coefficient is achieved in two and three phase fluidized beds.
The heat transfer in the zone adjacent to the heater is found to be the rate controlling step since the contribution of fluidized bed resistance was found to be less than 10% of the heater zone resistance in two and three phase fluidized beds.
The heat transfer resistances in liquid and three-phase fluidized beds have been represented by a modified Stanton and Peclet numbers based on the heat transfer resistances in the heater zone and in the fluidized bulk zone in series.