A new type of internal baffles has been developed for the purpose of improving the performance of gas-fluidized bed. The fluidizing behavior of the new pagoda type baffles has been studied in a two-dimensional bed in comparison with those of other types

and both photographs and moving pictures have been taken to demonstrate their viability in breaking up bubbles and enhancing gas-solid contact. The pagada baffles installed in a 30-cm-dia. pilot plant fluid-bed reactor for manufacturing phthalic anhydride from catalytic oxidation of naphthalene have been found to increase the feed load from 50-100 to 100-160 grams per hour per kilogram of catalyst

as compared to horizontal baffles originally used in the same reactor

corresponding to an increase in duty of 50 to 100%. The experimental data has been treated with a two-phase model. Results show that fluidized reactor with pagoda internal baffles has a very high interchange coefficient between the bubble phase and emulsion phase.