ABSTRACT
Fluidization occurs when a gas or liquid is forced to flow vertically through a bed of particles at such a rate that the buoyed weight of the particles is completely supported by the drag force imposed by the fluid. The particles are then able to move relative to one another. When fluidization occurs, the bed of particles gains the appearance and many properties of a true liquid or fluid. The term “fluidization” reflects this conferring of fluid-like properties onto the solid particles, much as the term liquefaction is used to denote the act of making liquid or conferring liquid properties.
