Experimental analysis of the resistance of packed beds based on the morphology of cylinder

Accurate prediction of the resistance of packed beds with cylindrical particles is critical for industrial applications. In this work, a series of experiments were performed to explore the effect of the morphology of cylinder on the pressure drop of airflow through packed beds. We used machined stainless-steel cylindrical particles with diameters of 3, 4, and 6 mm and an aspect ratio H/D = 1–10 to conduct the resistance experiment. The novelty was to propose an Ergun constant of porosity to modify the Ergun equation on the condition of cylindrical particles, which improved the accuracy of resistance prediction of packed beds. The sphericity, porosity, and Ergun constant of the cylindrical particles were found only relating to H/D. The obtained data were substituted into the existing resistance-prediction models and proposed model respectively to compare the predicted errors of resistance, and the highest goodness of fit was obtained by our model.