Chemical Engineering Science, Vol.57, No.1, 153-162, 2002
Reduction of electrostatic charges in gas-solid fluidized beds
Reduction of electrostatic charge accumulation by increasing the humidity of fluidizing gas was investigated using single bubble injection in two- and three-dimensional fluidized beds. Both 321 mum glass beads and 378 mum polyethylene particles were found to be charged positively when fluidized by air. Electrostatic charges increased as the bubble size increased. Increasing the relative humidity of the fluidizing air to 40-80% reduced the accumulation of electrostatic charge by increasing the surface conductivity, thereby enhancing charge dissipation.