CFD simulations for prediction of scaling effects in pharmaceutical fluidized bed processors at three scales

Experimental operation of three fluidized bed processors is compared with CFD simulation results. The capacities of the fluidized bed processors represent two orders of magnitude scale-up. Qualitative fluidization patterns as well as quantitative data are compared with simulated processor operation. The numerical method and simulation approach were found to successfully predict the flow behavior of several different sizes of fluidized beds based solely on material properties, processor loading, inlet air flow rate and fluidized bed process geometry.