Characteristics of Centrifugal Fluidized Beds in Microgravity

　Experiments were performed with a 94mm diameter, 5mm high centrifugal bed operating with atmospheric, room temperature air with 98μm and/or 1200μm glass beads materials under microgravity conditions. Visual observations showed that the bed became fluidized as similar manner of the familiar gravitational bed, and the bubble was found to generate in the bed. The data showed the initial bubble diameter slightly increased with air flow rate above minimum fluidization.
　However, no significant change of it was observed in the range of the centrifugal acceleration of 0.1go to 0.5go. The segregation behavior of large glass beads of 1200μm was also examined by the following the way which segregation occurred in centrifugal fluidized beds of 98μm small ones. The data showed the degree of segregation increased rapidly with centrifugal acceleration up to 0.1go and with air flow rate above initial fluidization of small particles.