Influence of fluidizing medium on hydrodynamics and particle mixing in a binary fluidized bed: a CFD-DEM study

Three-dimensional CFD-DEM simulations were used to investigate the influence of fluidizing medium on the hydrodynamics and mixing of a binary fluidized bed containing equal-density 3 and 4 mm particles. Water and air were compared using identical geometry, particle properties, and initial conditions over matched normalized superficial velocities of 0.5-3.0 times the minimum fluidization velocity. The numerical framework was validated against published liquid-solid bed-expansion data and benchmarked against an established gas-solid CFD-DEM case. At matched normalized superficial velocities, water fluidization produced a comparatively dense and homogeneous bed with stable bed height and pressure drop and weak velocity fluctuations. Air fluidization resulted in greater expansion, persistent oscillations, void- and bubble-like structures, stronger circulation, and greater spatial heterogeneity. Mixing, quantified using the Lacey mixing index, increased with superficial velocity in both media but developed more rapidly and reached higher levels in air. Particle trajectories and mean-square displacement further showed greater particle mobility and transport in air. The results demonstrate that normalization by the minimum fluidization velocity does not collapse the hydrodynamic or mixing behavior across fluidizing media because fluid properties strongly influence the underlying particle-transport mechanisms.