Abstract
In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of particle mixing technique to improve the fluidization hydrodynamics of nanoparticles that show strong agglomeration behavior during their dry processing. We choose small proportions of particles belonging to Geldart group A classification as additive particles because of their superior hydrodynamic behavior. This strategy not only suppresses the hysteresis phenomenon, but also helps to substantially reduce the size of agglomerates. Moreover, mixing of external micron-sized Geldart group A particles with resident nanoparticles of fluidized bed causes a variation in the volume-change of mixing in the range of 25% to 60%, indicating a significant contraction of the bed. Conventional models reported in the literature were unable to describe such a high degree of volume contraction. Results obtained in this study clearly establish the efficacy of particle mixing as an effective assisted fluidization technique in eliminating bed non-homogeneities and promoting the deagglomeration of nanoparticles. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.