(215a) Oscillated Gas-Injection in Granular Matter: Exploring Structured Bubbling Flow

Understanding the dynamics of granular materials that resemble liquid flow is crucial in both natural and industrial processes. Industries like food, pharmaceuticals, and clean energy, use bubbling fluidized beds, where gas flows upward through particles suspended in a liquid-like state. Our study shows that oscillating gas flow at 7Hz can organize chaotic bubble motion, allowing precise control over particle and gas behavior. In this two-fluid model (TFM) simulation, after validating our computational model against experimental data, we divided the injection surface into various parts, ranging from 2 to 10 slices, with constant phase differences between consecutive slices. As we increase the phase difference between slices from π/4 to π, we observe an increase in the number of bubbles in the bed, and consequently, a decrease in both the size of the bubbles and the vertical distances between them. For a constant phase of π/4, as the number of slices increases from 4 to 10 at the bottom, the structure pattern modifies and the number of bubbles in the pattern increases, while the size of the bubbles decreases. Additionally, the results indicated that for an odd number of slices, the pattern tends to be more centered, whereas for an even number of slices, the pattern appears more evenly distributed across the horizontal direction. The scalable structure and the method introduced here offer solutions to key scale-up and operational challenges, enhancing the applicability of bubbling fluidized beds in both existing and emerging technologies.