The New Jersey Institute of Technology's
Electronic Theses & Dissertations Project

Title:	Jet assisted fluidization of nanoparticle agglomerates
Author:	Omosebi, Ayokunle O.
View Online:	njit-etd2007-009 (xvi, 92 pages ~ 4.5 MB pdf)
Department:	Department of Chemical Engineering
Degree:	Master of Science
Program:	Chemical Engineering
Document Type:	Thesis
Advisory Committee:	Pfeffer, Robert (Committee chair) Loney, Norman W. (Committee member) Wu, Jing (Committee member)
Date:	2007-01
Keywords:	Fluidization Micro jet nozzle
Availability:	Unrestricted
Abstract:	Fluidization serves as a primary operation used to disperse, handle and process nanoparticles, but due to the complications involved with achieving homogenous fluidization of the agglomerates of nanoparticles, several methods have been developed to assist their conventional mode of fluidization. In this work, the conventional mode of fluidization was coupled with secondary gas flow emerging from a micro jet nozzle. The effect of the jet on the fluidization behavior of various APF and ABF nanopowders was studied and compared with the pure conventional fluidization mode. Generally, experiments were conducted to find the optimal operation of the jet by varying parameters such as, nozzle size, nozzle pressure, number of nozzles, orientation, position of nozzle, and the amount of powder affected by the nozzle. It was found that under the influence of the jet, better dispersion of the bed of nanoparticle agglomerates was achieved, and this was true for the different powders that were used under different operating conditions. Besides improved dispersion, it was also found that the jet served to break down the larger agglomerates, to reduce the minimum fluidization velocity, to delay the onset of bubbling, and to convert the fluidization behavior of ABF powder to APF.