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Particuology 7 (2009) 158160

Book review

Handbook of Fluidization, Mooson Kwauk, Hongzhong Li (Eds.).

Fluidization is an important process technology and is ubiquitously present in the process industry. The phenomena of uidization also represent one of the most fascinating uidparticle interactive behaviors in nature that are manifested by complex, intertwining science and engineering principles. Even though it is a centuries old practice, pursuit of the fundamental understanding of uidization has its origins in the 1940s. Since the 1960s, uidization has been a vibrant eld for uid mechanics, particle mechanics, as well as modeling and computation. From the historical perspective, Professor Mooson Kwauk and Professor Richard Wilhelms 1948 article Fluidization of Solid Particles, is proved to be a pioneering work that sets a stage for subsequent fundamental studies in the characteristics of uidization. As the eld has evolved over the last six decades, Professor Kwauk has been a leader of uidization research in China and the world, and his work has also had a signicant impact on many industrial applications and underlining concept of uidization theory. In recent years, China has become prominent in fundamental and applied uidization research, and it is not surprising therefore that a comprehensive handbook on uidization should emerge from the Chinese research community and that Professor Kwauk and his associate, Professor Hongzhong Li, should be the authors and editors of such a text. The handbook offers broad coverage of the different areas of uidization ranging from fundamentals to applications. The text is divided into three parts: particles and particle systems, uidization, and applications of uidization. Each part is itself further subdivided into individual chapters that address a partic-

ular topic and can be approached as self-contained, freestanding treatments of the topic, replete with an extensive reference list. Each chapter is written by Chinese authors who have extensive experiences on the subject matter. The editorial apparatus includes a short introduction, an index and an appended unit conversion table. The introduction offers a historical survey of uidization beginning with the application of uidization techniques in mining and metallurgy in the pre-industrial era. Subsequent developments of uidization in modern industries are then introduced with examples such as coal gasication and catalytic cracking of petroleum. The authors then proceed to the early efforts in the fundamental studies in uidization and summarize the current status and future directions of research in this eld. Besides its interesting and informative nature, the introduction admirably succeeds in providing the reader with an effective overview of the topics covered in later chapters. Part One of the handbook consists of a comprehensive review of particles and particle systems. The rst two chapters survey the commonly used denitions for particle size and particle geometry. Chapter Three introduces particle characterization techniques, including measurement of particle size, density, surface area, and pore distribution. The fourth and fth chapters introduce particle systems. Chapter Four focuses on the physical properties of particle systems including: the cohesion and diffusion of particles; heat and mass transfer in single and multiple particles; and their electrical, acoustic, and optical properties. Chapter Five examines the mechanical properties of the particle system beginning with the packing and owing of particles, followed by a discussion of the inter-particle forces, and concluding with the basic equations for the mechanics of particle systems. The sixth chapter is concerned with the seepage ow by which uid ows past particle layers. The authors start with the basic theory of seepage ow, including Darcys law and pressure drop calculations, before proceeding to more complicated seepage ows with two different uids including both miscible and immiscible uids and gas-liquid two-phase seepage ow. Chapter Seven focuses on particleuid two-phase ows. It initially presents a brief analysis of various particleparticle and particleuid interaction forces, which are directly related to the motion of the particles. The dispersed and aggregative ow regimes of the particleuid system are then introduced, and the transition between these regimes is discussed. This chapter concludes with an examination of the modeling approaches for particleuid systems. The two-uid model and the con-

1674-2001/$ see inside back cover 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Society of Particuology and Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

doi:10.1016/j.partic.2009.01.001

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cept of the multi-scale model are introduced along with a short survey of the CFD techniques for particle systems. Although this is a subject to which the authors return in the second part of the handbook, the relative brevity and abstract nature of the description of the modeling techniques might have been profitably expanded by including some examples of the applications of CFD in uidization and discussing the strengths and limitations of the different techniques for different problems. The eighth chapter is specically concerned with the preparation of nanoparticles and the chapter is divided into three subsections that introduce techniques for making nanoparticles in the gas, liquid, and solid phases respectively. The core of the Handbook of Fluidization is found in the second major part of the text. The initial four chapters in this part of the book emphasize theoretical aspects of uidization while the remaining ve turn the focus to devices and operations. The rst chapter begins with the basic phenomenon of uidization followed by an examination of the uid mechanics that describes the ow. The continuity and momentum equations as well as their boundary and initial conditions are briey introduced prior to a detailed description of the different forms of the phenomenon including bubbling uidization, generalized uidization, dilute phase uidization, turbulent uidization and fast uidization. The authors provide information of particular ow characteristics such as the ow structure and mixing properties for each of the regimes. Transitions between regimes and the segregation and mixing of particles of single and multiple components are also described later in the chapter. Chapter Two is concerned with the particulatization of aggregative uidization as the authors explore the prediction and evaluation of the quality of gas-solid uidization and how the ow quality of aggregative uidization can be improved by changing the particle property, applying external forces or using internal structures inside the uidized bed. The third chapter is a brief introduction to the current simulation techniques for uidization systems with an emphasis on the two-uid model, which is currently the most popular method in engineering applications. The authors also briey discuss other methods such as discrete element method (DEM) and direct numerical simulation (DNS). As was the case earlier, this chapter might have been expanded to include more examples and utilize gures to illustrate abstract ideas. Chapter Four describes the mass and heat transfer between the particle and the uid, as well as the heat transfer between the uidized bed and the wall. The fth chapter, which also marks a turn to the device and operation side, summarizes the design of the uidized bed by describing the general principles in selecting the type of uidized bed and determining its key dimensions. The authors go on to discuss several types of frequently employed uidized beds in detail such as the turbulent uidized bed, the circulating uidized bed, the spout bed, and the three-phase uidized bed. The characteristics related to the performance of each type such as the uid mechanics and the mass/heat transfer properties are described. Correlations or mathematical models are given to aid the design of the beds and to analyze their performance. Further, the authors describe special apparatus related to each type of bed. This section on circulating uidized beds is followed by a section introducing the uidized catalytic cracking (FCC) process,

including a description of important devices involved in this process such as the regeneration and reaction vessels. Chapter Six introduces the four important parts of the uidized bed, namely the distributor, bafes, charging/discharging devices, and particle separation devices. The seventh chapter deals with some special forms of uidization, such as vibrating uidization, jets and impinging streams, magnetic uidization, centrifugal uidization, uidization with supercritical uids, and uidization of ultra-ne particles and cohesive particles. Chapter Eight studies gas-solid reactions in uidized beds. The chapter is divided into two sections that treat non-catalytic and catalytic reactions respectively. Discussion of the typical reactors used for each type along with their design and calculations is also included. The nal chapter in this part of the handbook introduces various measurement techniques and their applications in uidization. The authors address the most commonly employed testing techniques such as pressure probes, optical ber probes, tomography techniques, and particle tracer techniques. The working principles, advantages and limitations of these techniques organize this discussion. While the rst two parts of the handbook are devoted to the fundamental and theoretical aspects of uidization, the third part examines the applications of uidization in different industries. There are four distinct chapters in this part of the book. The initial chapter presents an overview of the process industry, including the thermodynamics and kinetics involved in the processes, as well as general design principles of the processes and the reactors. The subsequent three chapters focus on the application of uidization in physical processes, chemical processes, and biochemical processes respectively. In each chapter, the processes and devices involved are illustrated with a large number of gures that should prove helpful for readers. The physical processes discussed in Chapter Two include pneumatic/hydraulic conveying of materials, drying, particle preparation, adsorption, leaching and washing, heat treatment, and classication of solid material. The chemical processes that are examined in Chapter Three are themselves divided into non-catalytic and catalytic reactions. The non-catalytic processes discussed include calcination, combustion, pyrogenation, and gasication while catalytic processes include decomposition, transformation, hydrogenation, and synthesis. The relatively short fourth chapter in this part of the handbook covers a large number of materials in biochemical processes. It rst deals with biotransformation in which microbes, plant cells or animal cells are cultivated in large numbers for industry. Then, the authors examine biocatalysis as they discuss biocatalysts such as enzyme, ribozyme, DNAzyme, and abzymes along with the xation techniques of biocatalysts. A variety of products produced from biocatalytic reactions such as genetic drugs are discussed briey, before the chapter introduces the bioreactors involved in some of the processes. The production of ethanol from fermentation is offered as a particular example at the end of the chapter along with a detailed analysis of the preparation of yeast particles and the exterior circulating uidized bed and the magnetic uidized bed reactors used in this process. The Appendices to the Handbook of Fluidization include a table of frequently used units in chemical engineering and their conversions. The authors

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Book review

also include a glossary of uidization terminology, although an English translation for the convenience of the reader would have been a welcome addition. By any standards, this handbook achieves what any excellent handbook should aspire to. Its thoroughness in covering almost every aspect of the subjects of uidization fundamentals and theory in conjunctions with the presentation of the most important industrial applications makes this a truly invaluable reference tool for other researchers and students. The book is well edited and the methodical and meticulous care of the editors is apparent throughout. The compact presentation and reasonable price are further attractive features of this book. Perhaps the only thing to be regretted is that there is, as yet, no English translation of the Handbook of Fluidization so that it might reach an ever broader and more global audience. In its comprehensiveness, its thoroughness of literature coverage, and its broad scope, the

Handbook of Fluidization is truly a tour de force. It will serve as a useful reference work for anyone that works in the eld of uidization and it is strongly urged that every researcher in this eld owns a copy. Liang-Shih Fan ,1 Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering The Ohio State University, United States +1 614 688 3262. E-mail address: fan@chbmeng.ohio-state.edu 1 Liang-Shih Fan is a member of National Academy of Engineering and holds the title of Distinguished University Professor, C. John Easton Professor in Engineering, and Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The Ohio State University, USA.
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