Fluidization Seminar - Chicago (April)

The PSRI Fluidization Seminar is a comprehensive four-day workshop designed to provide an in-depth understanding of fluidization processes and their industrial applications. This seminar covers a broad range of topics, from fundamental principles to advanced operational techniques, ensuring participants gain valuable knowledge and practical insights.

This session features large-scale demonstrations of fluidized bed units and includes a comprehensive tour of our research facility.

Day 1: On the first day, the seminar begins with an introduction to PSRI and its technical programs, followed by an overview covering fluidization terminology, particulate properties, and fluidization regimes and transitions. The focus then shifts to the hydrodynamics of fluidized beds, including the effects of temperature and pressure. The afternoon sessions delve into gas and solids mixing, gas-solids contacting, scale-up, and heat transfer.

Day 2: The second day starts with an overview of industrial applications of fluidization, followed by an in-depth look at grids and particle attrition. Topics include the design and pressure drop across various types of grids, the effects of shrouds, jet penetration, and temperature and pressure effects on grids. The day continues with a workshop on grid design, followed by an analysis of particle entrainment and elutriation, mechanisms of ejection into the freeboard, solid flux profiles, prediction of entrainment, and the effects of geometry, risers, temperature, and pressure. The day concludes with a workshop on entrainment.

Day 3: The third day focuses on cyclone design, starting with the principles of operation, dipleg pressure balance, flapper and trickle valves, and the effects of different cyclone configurations and operating temperature. Cyclone design procedure and collection efficiency are also covered, followed by a workshop on cyclone design. The afternoon sessions discuss standpipes, including their theory of operation, types, aeration effects, capacity, angled standpipes, stripping, non-mechanical valves, and calculations.

Day 4: The final day of the seminar continues with dilute-phase pneumatic conveying, covering slip velocities, fast fluidization, circulating fluidized beds, the effect of bends, diameter and pressure, and feeding considerations. The focus then shifts to dense-phase pneumatic conveying, including packed bed and fluidized-bed flow, slug flow, and equipment selection. The afternoon sessions address particle attrition, types of attrition, attrition testing and modeling, and modeling granular-fluid systems, including types of models and common pitfalls.

Participants will be provided with tablets to follow along with seminar materials interactively, ensuring an engaging and convenient learning experience. Post-seminar, materials and notes will be accessible through the PSRI website for continued reference. This seminar is an excellent opportunity for professionals to enhance their understanding of fluidization processes, network with peers, and gain practical insights applicable to their work.

A formal agenda will be released closer to the event date. Classes typically run from 8 AM to 5 PM each day; please plan your travel accordingly.

Lunch will be provided to attendees each day.

Hotel Information

For more information about booking your hotel near the PSRI facility, please visit https://psri.org/about/chicagohotel. Unfortunately, there is no shuttle service or convenient public transportation between the hotels and PSRI. You may need to rent a car, use ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft, or take a taxi. Additionally, we do not recommend staying near Midway Airport. Please refer to the link above for more detailed information.

All credit card transactions are processed through a United States payment gateway. You may need to contact your credit card provider to pre-authorize the transaction to avoid any potential declines.

Book your registration by January 22nd, 2025 and get $300 off. 

Safety Information for PSRI Tour

• Closed Toe Shoes required (No High-Heals, Crocks, Sandals, etc)
• Pants Required (No Skirts, Shorts, Kilts, etc)
• We will provide the following safety items: 
  • Hard Hat (Return to PSRI after tour)
  • Safety Glasses (You Keep)
  • Hearing Protection (You Keep)
• Strictly NO Photography or Videography is allowed on the tour. 
• There are stairs involved in the tour. 
• Those afraid of heights should opt out of the tour. 

Employees of PSRI Member Companies are eligible for an additional $500 discount on their registration fee.

This discount is automatically applied when you register with a confirmed and associated myPSRI account linked to your company's membership agreement. If you do not yet have a myPSRI account, please create one here and complete the access request form so we can associate your account. Once this process is complete, the discount will be automatically applied during registration.