Experimental study on fluidization characteristics of vinegar residue in a vibrated fluidized bed

As a by-product in the vinegar brewing process, vinegar residue always has a high moisture content, which is detrimental to the storage and recycle process. The vibrated fluidized bed can be used to dry the vinegar residue. In present work, inert particles were added to a vibrated fluidized bed to improve the fluidization of vinegar residue. Experimental studies were carried out to investigate the fluidization behaviors of the binary mixtures. Flow pattern maps indicated that there was an upper limit to the vinegar residue mass concentration c_w at which stable fluidization could be achieved. The minimum fluidization velocity u_mf of the binary mixture increased as the vinegar residue mass concentration c_w increased and decreased with the increase of the vibration intensity Λ. As increasing vibration intensity Λ or decreasing vinegar residue mass concentration c_w, the drying rate of vinegar residue increased.