Fluidized Bed Setup

Q. I want to make a 3 × 4 ft rectangular fluid bed hopper. I will be dipping copper bus. The largest bus bar will be 1/4 × 6 × 30 inch. Can you provide details suchas fluidized bed depth, air chamber depth, required air glow, and any other details? M. M.

 

A. I recommend that you contact your powder supplier, because suppliers often have design criteria for fluid bed design (at least the ones that sell fluid bed grade powder coatings do). Otherwise, the following will get you started in the right direction: 

 

1. The fluid bed should be at least 4 ft deep to ensure proper fluidization.
2. The fluidized bed porous plate should be Porex (porous polyethylene). Don’t forget to seal the edge of this plate before installing it to prevent air loss.
3. Use a pneumatic vibrator to assist in providing even fluidization.
4. The air chamber below the plate should be 4–6 inches deep.
5. Air consumption should be around 20–30 SCFM at pressure of 10 to 30 psi.

 

Understand that building a fluidized bed is an iterative process. It will take you some time to tweak the design to get it right, so be patient.