Clusterlike solutions are reported for volume-averaged equations of motion in fluidized gas-particle suspensions (i.e., fluidized beds). A connection between bubbles and clusters is established through bifurcation analysis and numerical continuation in the mean volume fraction of the suspension. The robustness of this connection is established by varying the model parameters and the closures. The bubbles and clusters are shown to belong to the same family of nonuniform solutions.

• Received 30 January 1998

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.1849