Challenges and enablers in fluidization technology
J.R. van Ommen (TU Delft - Applied Sciences)
Jia Wei Chew (Chalmers University of Technology)
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Abstract
Gas–solid fluidized beds provide excellent heat and mass transfer for highthroughput operations from coating to catalytic conversion and underpin emerging low-carbon technologies. Yet industrial reliability, scale-up, and control lag scientific understanding, particularly as finer, stickier, and more variable feedstocks increasingly challenge conventional heuristics. This Perspective identifies five critical challenges: (i) small, cohesive, and/or irregular particles, (ii) complex chemistries and evolving materials, (iii) limited gas–solid flow predictability, (iv) low energy and material efficiency, and (v) safety. We then highlight five enablers to accelerate progress: (1) robust, time-resolved sensing; (2) mechanism-based assistance and mitigation methods; (3) high-fidelity multiscale models bridging particles to reactors; (4) AIdriven design, optimization, and control; and (5) closer academia-industry collaboration. Together, these advances can transform fluidization from an empirical art into a predictive, reliable platform for circular and low-carbon technologies.
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